The Aberrants
by MoonlightSonata87
Summary: I don’t know why it happened, just that it did. On my thirteenth birthday I discovered that I was special. It's been a few years since then and now, a day after my eighteenth birthday things are changing. Goodbye normal life. NOT A VAMP STORY. D/S
1. Abberants

Hey, let me know what you think of this new story. If you're a fan of my others check my profile, at the bottom of the page is a list of stries I'm going to delete. Check them out. It's more of an FYI. Anywho, **REVIEW!**

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Aberrants

I don't know why it happened, just that it did. On my thirteenth birthday I discovered that I was special. It started simply enough, my alarm was buzzing incessantly and I was getting agitated. I didn't want to go to school that day and I imagined my alarm clock exploding. Imagine my surprise when it actually did! The poor thing, its delicate pink plastic shattered into a million… no billion pieces! Evidence of the violence had been scattered all around my room.

That was the first time I experienced the "symptoms" as they're called. Yes symptoms! Apparently telekinesis is a disease… well… any "powers" are some sort of disease in the eyes of others. I liken the ideology to the fictitious X-men. In the world of X-men people with special abilities were called mutants and rightfully so. The term mutant refers to someone who has a genetic mutation and therefore displays abnormal traits. We use the term mutant for little things… like a frog with two heads… usually the term mutant is used for things that look different from the "ideal" image of whatever it may be. For instance; clovers. Clovers are genetically coded to have three small green leaves however; the mutant clover is a sign of good luck. You know it as the four-leaf clover. Yes, the classic symbol of good luck is a mutant.

People like me aren't so lucky. Much like in X-men, people like me are feared… even hunted by "normal" people and "their" governments. We have been deemed Aberrants. The term comes from the dictionary, aberrant, which means, not normal or varying from the usual. They picked this term because the term itself instills a sense of separation between "us" and "them", Aberrants and the normal people.

I said before that people consider it a disease… well, allow me to correct myself. At first, it is considered a disease. If "symptoms" are discovered in a person then they are immediately quarantined. They have huge facilities that are similar to prisons. Suspected Aberrants are taken there to be examined, tested, prodded… all sorts of things are done to them in order to see if it's a fluke or something serious.

Many people are taken there and found to not be an Aberrant. Others are not so lucky. If you are found to be an Aberrant then more tests are done to determine what classification you are. There are ten levels in the classification system, cleverly numbered from one to ten. One being the least powerful, the least dangerous, for instance, an Aberrant who changes eye color when cycling through emotions is considered a level one. Level one Aberrants are harmless; they are the most common type, and because they pose no real threat to society they are allowed all the same freedoms as the normals save for the freedom to have children. If you are a confirmed aberrant you are immediately sterilized and given hormones to facilitate the "natural course" of puberty.

Level one Aberrants are generally the most obvious. As you move up the level classification you find more powerful, less obvious suspects. The lower on the level scale you are, the more physical traits you display. Abnormal hair colors, eye colors, things of that nature are a dead giveaway in low levelers. They aren't very conscious of their powers they're pretty much involuntary. That is partially why they aren't dangerous. People who look different get noticed and are watched. In the beginning they noticed that level ones were distinguishable because of their hair colors and as a result it is now illegal to dye your hair or wear a wig. There are also no colored contacts allowed.

If level ones are the most obvious and least dangerous, then level tens are considered horrendous. Level tens look just like everyone else. They assimilate into society without notice and it is they who are most dangerous. Level tens are the most powerful Aberrants and are very conscious of their abilities. There have been Aberrants who are so powerful that they can walk into the middle of Times Square and control everyone around them like puppets.

Of course, I think the thing that worries people most is that, the higher up on the scale an Aberrant is, the more power they have. They're not limited to one ability, they have many, and most can be used as weapons. It is for this reason that any discovered level ten is immediately killed and disposed of. Any Aberrant who is a level six and above is immediately killed for, that matter.

Like I said though, they blend into society, they are hard to detect unless they reveal themselves. When I displayed the "symptoms" I was alone. No one saw what was happening and as a result I wasn't taken away. As I experimented with my power I found that I was a little more… gifted than most. Not only did I develop telekinetic powers, but also telepathy, the ability to fly, the ability to absorb other Aberrant's powers, and I can create powerful energy attacks.

If you can't guess by now, I'm a level ten and I've never met another one in my life. It's scary really, to think that you may be the only one out there? I sometimes feel lonely but overall I know that I have friends that are much like me. The five of us are very close and I'm overly thankful.

My four closest friends are Aberrants though they are all undiscovered level fives. I'll start with Mina. Mina is practically my twin, she has long golden hair that she wears half up with a large red bow. We tease her sometimes because she looks as if she came out of the fifties with that bow. Nonetheless, Mina is what we call a feeler. She has the ability to feel others' emotions. If anyone is around she knows what they're feeling and usually she can project her own emotions to sooth others. What makes Mina a level five is the fact that she looks like a normal girl but she has the ability to make energy attacks.

The next on my list is Raye. Raye is one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in my life! She has long raven hair and deep violet eyes. Like Mina, her body is that of a supermodel. Raye has the ability to control fire and predict the future. Her predictions don't randomly come to her though, she actually has to focus on a single aspect in order to see anything. Raye tends to boss us all around, she likes it that way and we don't really mind.

Lita is another member of our group. She's called a sensor. Sensors know their environments, sort of like sharks in water. Lita's a really good one too, she's so aware of everything going on all the time that I've actually seen her stand up, walk out of the room we're in just to swat a fly that was "bugging her". She's a tall Amazonian looking girl, she stands roughly six two and has nut brown hair that she wears in a tight ponytail. Her green eyes always sparkle with excitement whenever boys come around. She's a bit of a pant-chaser but we love her, perhaps its because she can really cook… or maybe it's because she can electrocute us with her ability to control lightening and electricity.

Amy is the last but certainly not the least of our group. Amy is a quiet workaholic. She talks quietly and with a soft voice. In fact, people who have met her would never guess that she's an Aberrant who can control water and ice. By nature she has blue hair and blue eyes. When around other people she darkens her hair to look black but when we're all alone she lets the sapphire blue come back and she's quite breathtaking really. Amy is a detector, she detects other Aberrants and what their powers are. It's really helpful if you're dealing with an Aberrant who is potentially unstable.

Add me into the mix and you'll see that we have a very diverse group. I know I've been lazy and have yet to introduce myself so here I go… My name is Serena Tsukino. I'm eighteen and I have long knee-length golden hair that I wear in a rather peculiar style. My enemy thinks it looks like two meatballs atop my head with spaghetti hanging down but I don't know… two buns with pigtails that isn't … food-like right? Anyway, I have cerulean blue eyes and I stand a towering five foot three. I suppose I make up for my height with my figure though, I'm just going to say it… I'm damn sexy. I look like a runway model too save for my height.

Our group likes to hang out at the Crown Arcade. In fact that's where we are right now. We always sit in the same booth in the back corner and order the same thing. We all get chocolate milkshakes save for Amy who gets yogurt with granola in it. She claims that ice cream is bad for you and will impede you're ability to learn and study. Did I mention that Amy's a workaholic? I swear the moment that girl could open her eyes she started reading.

I'd like to pretend that we come here for the food, or even the videogames but the truth is that we come here out of tradition and for a certain blonde-haired owner. His name is Andrew, he's twenty-four years old and he is so totally hot! Amy's really the only one in the group who hasn't shown any sort of interest in him but then again it's because she's always doing something. So… Andrew, yeah, he has blonde hair and the sparkliest green eyes ever! He's kind of immature at times but we all love him anyway. He's really our only guy friend and he's so trustworthy that we've told him our secrets. He knows we're Aberrants and he's not afraid of us. He says he's known plenty of us to know that we're not out to get everyone else. Lately though I've noticed him acting a little differently towards Mina. Whenever he comes around she blushes like there's no tomorrow and smiles. I think they have something going on.

"Here we are! Four chocolate milkshakes and one vanilla yogurt with almond granola and blueberries. Is that all for you ladies?" He asks Mina more than anyone else but we all shake our heads, happy with the items in front of us. "So how are my favorite customers doing today?" We all looked at Mina to wait for a response.

"We're fine Andy… but… I've been wondering. When are you just going to give in and ask me on that date?" Mina smiled as he smirked and nervously laughed. "Well?" She prompted as he seemed to be searching for something to say, anything to say.

"I um… Mina, will you go out with me this Friday?" He blushed as she nodded her acceptance of the invitation. I swear he pivoted away so quickly that he must have gotten dizzy. We all laughed a bit and looked at Mina with approval. They would be good together, we all knew it.

"Finally he asked you! I'm so jealous!" Lita crossed her arms and pouted her lip. "Just as well I suppose. I mean… he does look like my ex boyfriend." I groaned along with the others at the table. Apparently every guy alive looked like one of her exes. "What? He does!"

"Lita… we don't care." Raye snorted and began to sip on her milkshake thoughtfully. "Mina, would you like me to predict your future with Andrew?" I looked at Raye then Mina excitedly. I always liked hearing Raye's predictions. She had gotten it down to a performance. Mina shook her head from side to side. "Why not? You don't want to know if there's an ending?"

"No, I don't. I'd rather live it and experience it myself. What's the fun of knowing everything before it ever happens? It makes life boring." Mina waved her hand and looked at Amy who hadn't touched her yogurt yet. She was so engrossed in the book in front of her that her hair had started to lighten. "Ames, you're looking a little bright today."

"Hmmm? Oh." Amy's hair went jet black as she blushed and looked around to see if anyone had noticed the change. "I really must stop doing that… thank you Mina." Amy closed the book and set it beside her to begin on the morsel in front of her. We all watched her begin to eat her yogurt then she stopped and looked outside and frowned. "Wonderful." She muttered and quickly finished her yogurt.

"Hey hey!" Lita smiled and perked up as the glass doors to the arcade slid open. "Hey Serena, you're best friend's here." I didn't even have to turn around to know whom Lita was talking about. She always perked up when he came into the arcade. Amy had apparently seen him out the window, Lita felt him enter the arcade, but I knew just by the positions of the hands on the clock that it was him. He was so predictable, to a fault even.

"Ten bucks says he wins today." Raye smiled and slapped down a ten-dollar bill. I glared at her angrily then checked myself to make sure I didn't cause her any harm. I'd gotten good at being angry at people and not hurting them but at times like these, when the inevitable daily argument between myself and him occurred, that I wanted to hurt someone.

"I disagree Raye, I'll bet twenty that Serena sends him out of here fuming." Amy quietly held up a pristine twenty. Ah Amy, how I loved her. She was always on my side. Raye thoughtfully mulled it around and nodded.

"You're on." Mina held onto the money and we all sat where we were. It always seemed like the girls knew something I didn't when it came to him. As if they actually liked him more than they liked me!

"So… how many shakes has meatball head downed so far today?" I heard the deep, silky, masculine voice drawl. Oh how I hated the way he sounded. He was so sexy but so aggravating! I heard Andrew say something but couldn't hear what. He was most likely warning his friend not to push me today. I wasn't really in the mood to argue with a conceited asshole. It was my eighteenth birthday and I didn't need him pissing me off. "What no comment?" I heard him call over to us but I ignored him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of arguing.

I was busily eating my milkshake and hoping he wouldn't come over to where we were when he did. His strong, towering figure was opposite me at the table as he looked down at me. I continued to ignore him, even after he pulled a chair over to the table and sat down; thus reducing his six foot four figure to a considerably lower altitude. "Sort of bitchy today aren't you? What's the matter meatball head is it just that time of the month?"

If there was one thing I detested more than him himself it was him accusing me of having PMS. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I snapped and finally looked at him. I wish I hadn't, I really wish I had kept my cool because today of all days he looked so irresistible it was ridiculous. His jet black hair shone healthily under the fluorescent lights, the consequence of which was that his lightly tussled hair fell just over his eyebrows. Once your eyes trailed his bangs to their ends you were met with intense, midnight blue eyes that always seemed like they were piercing right trough you. His eyes always captured me… always held me hostage but the worst part about him was that he looked like a god. Seriously he looked like he was carved from the finest marble in the universe! He was tall, and muscular, his face was perfectly chiseled and I could only imagine the rest of him was the same.

That damn smirk spread over his face as he continued to stare at me amusedly. I wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off his face but I was determined not to let him get the better of me today. "Actually, I would." He pulled out his cell phone and started tapping at the touch screen. "You know, for future scheduling?"

That was it! Did he really think he could talk to me like that and get away with it? I mean… what an asshole! "It's none of your business what's going on with me today Jerkface! So why don't you take your stupid phone and shove it up your ass!" I was standing now, leaning over the table with my hands planted firmly on either side of me for support. "So get lost."

"Touchy… you know meatball head, you're going to have an aneurism one day if you don't learn to control that temper." He chuckled and tapped one last time on the phone before putting it back into the pocket of the ugly green jacket he loved to wear. I swear, he only had one outfit and it was ugly as sin. That stupid green jacket was worn over a black turtleneck and some off white… perhaps slightly bluish (or purplish) slacks.

"Just leave me alone jerk face! It's my birthday and I'm not going to let you ruin it." I said it with such conviction I was even impressed. I wasn't going to let him ruin it for me.

"Oh! Well happy birthday." He smiled warmly then a impish spark appeared in his eyes. "So how old are you now? Twelve right?" I'll admit, my jaw just about detached itself from my face. I couldn't believe him! Did he really think I was THAT childish and immature?

"You! You… you… ugh!" I couldn't help it. I couldn't speak let alone know what to say so I did what any normal girl would do. I pushed my friends out of the booth and leaned over him, jabbing my finger at his face. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone? I HATE you!" His eyes darkened as they sky seemed to dim with oncoming clouds.

"Really?" He bit nastily as a rumble traveled through the clouds. "Here I thought you were madly in love with me." I jerked backwards and straightened my back. I could admit I was attracted to the man, but not in love with him… no… definitely NOT in love with him! That was such an absurd thought! "It's the truth." He challenged as lightning flashed and Andrew stepped over to the table.

"Calm down Darien… I think you're getting a little… carried away." Darien seemed to snap out of whatever thought he was in and looked outside. The girls looked at him with reservation, all but Amy who was shaking her head.

"Whatever. I even had a present for you meatball head but… since you hate me so very much I don't feel like giving it to you." Darien stood and looked down at me. Something in his eyes made me feel guilty, but at the same time not really. He'd been making my life hell for the longest time.

As he was walking out I couldn't help but turn and look at him. He was so damn sexy… why couldn't I stop fighting with him and just embrace him? His beautiful eyes locked onto mine as he paused at the door and I couldn't help but pry. I let my mind pierce through to his thoughts and gasp. _Why can't she see how much I care?_ With that thought he shook his head and walked out. "Wow…" I slowly sunk into the chair he'd just left and felt myself wither a little. He cared about me? What did THAT mean? Should I go after him and find out? No… no that wouldn't be good… not good at all. A flash of lightning hit the ground then it started to rain harshly. "Oh man! I have to walk home!" I moaned and put my head in my hands. Today was turning out to be a terrible day!

"Hey, we're going with you remember doofus?" Raye rolled her eyes and looked out the window with a disapproving sneer. "Stupid Darien… I can't believe I lost." Raye watched reluctantly as Mina handed Amy the winnings of the bet. Amy happily took the money and folded it into her pocket before looking at me with pride shining in her eyes. "Well, we'd better get a move on then if we're going to make it to your house with enough time to get cleaned up and ready for your stupid party."

"Stupid party?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at Raye pointedly. The girl always loved coming to my house and I knew she was trying to hide that fact but still. How could she not know that she wasn't fooling anyone? She simply shook her head and slid out of the booth. Andrew waved as we left and hurriedly ran down the sidewalk. The rain pelted us as we rushed like hell to get to my house. I thought I could hear Amy complaining about the possibility of her books getting wet but to tell the truth I wasn't really listening. I was instead, thinking about a certain, overly sexy, confusing guy who had so easily given up today.

It wasn't like Darien to relinquish victory over anything, much less one of our arguments but today had been different. Today felt as if I had torn his arm off or something… and what had he meant when he thought about caring? I was so distracted that when Lita pratically tackled me to the ground I was unclear as to where I even was. "Serena! What were you thinking? You almost ran into the road!" Lita had landed atop me and was now looking down at me angrily. "Do you have some sort of death wish or something?" I blinked and looked around at the girls who had since gathered around us and were helping Lita up.

Mina finally offered me her hand and as she pulled me up she gave me that all knowing look of hers. The one that told me she knew more about what I was feeling than I did. _Just face it Serena… you love him and you feel guilty about your argument today._ Her thoughts were so clear it was hard not to read them. I shook my head in denial. I was not in love with him! Why was everyone so hung up on he and I being all lovey dovey?

"Thanks Leets, I wasn't thinking. I was just so excited about my party." I took a quick survey of the girls around me and saw that not one of them believed the lie I had just provided. "Okay fine! I feel bad about jerk face. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but he hurts mine all the time! I think I deserve some sort of amnesty here!" The girls exchanged looks before Amy smiled slightly.

"Serena… none of us said you did anything wrong." I was floored. It was true, the only one who was making a big deal about it was me. I was adding to my own guilt by scolding myself for bothering him so much. "Now, I really don't want my books to get wet so can we just hurry up and get to your house? We can talk about this there." Amy added and linked arms with me. Good ole, sweet Amy. She always had a way of putting things that made me feel better about my internal ramblings.

When we finally got to my house we were soaked right down to our skins and Amy was desperately checking her bag to make sure it had sufficiently protected her books. "Where have you girls been it's raining like the…" My mom came out of the kitchen wearing her apron and holding a spatula. "Oh dear… stay right there! I'll get towels… I mean it, don't any of you move off of that tile." She waved her spatula at us then disappeared into the hallway to get us some towels.

"I think you should call him and apologize if you feel that badly." Mina whispered as the other girls nodded. I thought about the possibility of calling him but a few things halted the idea. For one, I didn't have his phone number, and two, why should I apologize for his feelings being hurt? It wasn't my fault he chose to react to my words like that.

"Okay girls… here we are." Mom came back with five large towels and began to gather our things from us. "Now, I don't want any of you walking around my house in wet clothes so you'll each go up and change. Bring your clothes to me and I'll wash them so you'll have them to wear for tomorrow… you are all staying over right?" She paused as she realized maybe the girls wouldn't be staying.

"I think we're all staying Mrs. Tsukino." Amy offered politely and paused to allow the other three to nod. "That is… if it's all right with you and Mr. Tsukino." I smiled to myself as my mother fell over herself to assure the girls it was okay for them to stay overnight. It was a tactic that Amy used often to affirm her assumptions. "Thank you." She finally smiled and we all went up to my room to change.

"I think Mina's right… you should call him." Lita grinned. "Invite him over for the slumber party. We can leave if you want." I turned on the tall Amazonian with surprise. What the hell was going on with everyone lately? "What? You know you want him. Besides, I hear he's used to inducting girls into adulthood if you catch my drift." Lita winked as Mina giggled.

"What the hell's the matter with you Lita? I'm not in love with the guy and frankly… that… the fact that you know that… bothers me!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. I mean come one, who just randomly throws that out there? Lita was implying that Darien was nothing but a man-whore… maybe he was, but that wasn't the point. "How would you even know something like that?"

"I hear things… plus, Raye dated him for a little while remember?" Suddenly I couldn't help but stare at Raye wide eyed. Raye simply rolled her eyes and began to strip down. I could see why Darien would date someone like Raye. She was, in my opinion, the sexiest girl I'd ever seen and I wasn't even a lesbian! She continued to ignore our stares until she had stripped down to her bra and panties.

Finally she turned her violet eyes on us and let out a disgruntled sigh. "What?" She placed her hands on her hips and seemingly challenged each of us with a stare. "So I dated the guy for a little while. You all know that."

"Well yeah… but that was before we knew he was so… hands on." Mina grinned and ran her eyes over Raye as if appraising her. "Did you two um… you know?" I stared at Raye wide-eyed. A part of me wanted her to say no but another part of me wanted to hear details. The most I had ever done with a guy was kiss… and not even the real type of kissing. I was overly curious about the possibility of one of my best friends and Darien getting hot and heavy.

"I suppose you'll never know." Raye smiled and reached for her overnight bag just as Lita pulled it away from her. "Oh come on! You can't detain my clothes!" Raye protested and tried for a short time to retrieve her bag from Lita and Mina who were playing keep away. "Give me my bag!"

Amy and I stood off to the side, changing as we watched the amusing game. "No, not until you spill the beans. Did you do the naughty with Darien?" Lita finally held the bag high above her head and smirked at Raye triumphantly.

"Why do you care?" Raye jumped for the bag. She tried unsuccessfully to acquire the bag and only after she had tried to tackle Lita did she realize she would have to talk about her relationship with Darien. "No okay! God now give me my bag." She snatched it from Lita's now lax arms and unzipped it angrily.

"Really? So… the rumors aren't true?" Mina continued on the subject as we all watched Raye yank on her clothing. I wanted so badly to read Raye's thoughts but I didn't. I couldn't invade her like that. Not while we were on this topic.

"Look… I don't really want to talk about it okay? We didn't do it. End of story." Raye finished yanking on her outfit and started to pull a hairbrush through her long raven trusses. Everyone had grown silent and it was clear that Raye was unhappy with the way things had ended between her and Darien.

"What happened… he didn't hurt you did he?" Amy ventured and moved to Raye. Amy's gentleness caused something in Raye to relax and finally, she looked at each of us. "Raye… did he do something wrong?"

"No… no it's nothing like that." Raye shook her head and sighed as her eyes finally fell to the ground. "The truth is… I don't know what happened. Everything seemed to be going fine… we had gone out to dinner and a movie… I'm not sure how it happened but we wound up in his apartment. I couldn't believe it at the time… I mean… wow! I was so in love with him… well you guys know how I was. Anyway, I wound up in my bra and panties, I'd gotten his shirt off and when I reached for his pants he suddenly pulled away from me." She was still staring at the ground and seemed to be oblivious about the fact that we were oogling her. "I was so embarrassed… he was leaning against the wall watching me as I got dressed and as I walked past him to leave he said it would be a good idea not for us to see each other anymore. I guess I just wasn't good enough for him."

Amy shook her head and put her arm around Raye as the ebony haired beauty looked up with tears in her eyes. "I just don't get it you know… I mean, I know he's been with a lot of girls and all but… I was in love with him… I didn't care whether or not I was just a notch on his belt. I just… I thought…"

"He didn't give you any reason at all for just… dumping you like that?" Mina was beginning to turn red with anger. If there was one thing we did as a group, we looked out for one another. The fact that someone… no, not someone, Darien, had made Raye cry… well that was war.

Raye shook her head and smiled. "No… he just said that he'd made a big mistake." Lita was shaking and sparks were beginning to lift off of her skin. "Calm down Lita… I mean… I guess it's for the best. I still have my virtue and we can still talk to one another. He'll stop me every once and a while to check up on me and see how I'm doing so I know he doesn't hate me."

"Still! What sort of jerk just up and ends it like that? I mean… If it wasn't Serena's birthday I'd go over there right now and pound him into the ground!" Lita growled and ground her fist into her hand as if to accent her point.

"Lita. Raye, have you ever ask him why he did what he did?" Amy asked softly as she tried to settle the storm that seemed to rise in the room. I was rather intrigued by this story. What type of guy pulls away from a girl he practically has in bed with him? What was Darien's reason?

"No." Raye shook her head and shrugged. "I just figured he didn't want me. He's used to messing around with supermodels and stuff… why would he want me?" Raye smiled. "I'm okay with it I guess but it still hurts to know that I was rejected."

"Call and ask." I finally spoke up. I wanted to know the reason he hadn't carried through. Of all of us it was my opinion that Raye was the most beautiful and if Darien didn't want her then… what type of girl did he want?

Raye looked at me thoughtfully and smiled. "I don't know Meatball head… I don't know if any of us really want to know the reason." Lita crossed her arms and glared at Raye determinately. "You really want me to call and ask?"

"Yeah!" Lita shouted as we all nodded. We weren't really pushing this for us, rather for her. She needed closure and obviously she hadn't gotten it.

"Fine. I'll call." Raye nodded and dug through her bag for her cell phone. When she produced the item she pushed a few buttons before taking a deep breath and holding the phone to her ear. We all watched in suspension as she waited silently for him to pick up the phone. "Hey Darien… it's me, Raye." She pause for a minute and smiled whole-heartedly. "I figured you would have deleted my number." I looked at Mina who was staring at Raye with her eyebrows furrowed together. "Look, I called to ask you something… remember the day we broke up? I was just wondering why you…" She suddenly stopped and seemed to listen to her phone carefully. "No Darien… you've told me that before. I want to know the real reason. Is it because I'm not pretty enough?" She listened until her eyes widened. "Are you joking around with me? You're serious?" She questioned and stood up immediately. "Wow I… I… totally get it! Okay… thank you. I'll talk to you later okay? Okay… bye." She hung up the phone with a broad smile on her face. "He said it wasn't because of me. He told me it was really hard not to just do it but he said he couldn't let himself do that." She hugged herself. "Hah! I'm totally hot enough for him!"

"Well? Why didn't he just screw you?" Lita crossed her arms in a huff. Mina smacked Lita's arm and looked at Raye with a smile as if to tell her that she didn't need to say anything more.

"Girls! It's time for dinner and birthday stuff! Hurry down!" My mom called up to us and so we rushed downstairs for the party. If Raye still wanted to talk about Darien then we would do it later. I was just glad that she was okay.


	2. Misunderstood

Hehe... enjoy and **REVIEW!**

Misunderstood

The next morning I woke to find my black cat Luna lying on my chest sleeping peacefully. The sun was shining brightly telling me it was late morning. Sometime around three we had all passed out and it looked like I was the first to wake. That was something to mark on the calendar. "Hey Luna…" I greeted my kitty and rubbed her ear. She stretched her body and began purring, her thoughts easy to read. _Good morning… that feels nice._ I smiled and touched my nose to hers.

"It's because I'm friends with you." Raye suddenly said in a low register. I turned my head towards her and saw her violet eyes focused on me. "It's because he's in love with you." I'm sure all the color drained out of my face as the words hit me.

Suddenly I sat up causing Luna to fall off of my chest with a startle look on her face. My room was pitch black. "A dream." I closed my eyes and let myself relax as I pet Luna. I was a little disappointed of course. I sort of wanted that to be the reason. I looked at the clock and saw that it was five in the morning. Way to early for my eyes to be open but something just felt wrong. Something was off.

Slowly I stood up and stepped over my friends then made my way to the bathroom. It had been some night. From the moment Raye finished her story about Darien I had been feeling jealous and Mina had been staring at me with that all knowing smile of hers. As I stepped into the hallway I looked from side to side as I always did in the dark. I know, it's silly to be eighteen and still afraid of the dark but that's my prerogative. Rather than seeing an empty hallway I saw the silhouette of a man. Fear overtook me as I froze and stared at him.

I could feel his eyes on me, even in the dark and as I inhaled to scream a large hand clamped over my mouth and an arm snaked around my waist. "Damn it they always wake up!" The man holding me hissed quietly as I tried to fight him off. I didn't want to use my powers but it was looking like I might have to. The other man was approaching and soon he had a hold of my legs and they were carrying me towards the stairs. I was so afraid… suddenly their thoughts started flooding my mind and I realized I was losing control of myself. If I didn't calm down I could do some serious damage!

That's when one thought stuck. _We have to get rid of her._ I froze. No way! I wasn't going to fall victim to this! These men were in my house and now thinking of murdering me? I don't think so! One of the useful things about telekinesis is the ability to hit someone with something and not have to lift a finger. Remembering a vase sitting on a table in the hall I called it to me and mentally smashed it onto the man's head who was holding his hand over my mouth. With a grunt he released me. I stopped myself mid-air and concentrated an energy blast in my feet causing the guy holding my feet to drop me and fall back unconscious. I quickly ran to the light switch and flipped it on. The men were dressed in black with burglar masks on.

"Rick? Tim?" I heard a masculine voice call up the stairs. "What are you guys doing? No lights!" He rushed up the stairs and his eyes locked on me. He quickly glanced at his comrades and the broken vase on the floor then back on me. "Shit…" He began to back up, fear in his eyes. "Stay away from me you freak!" He suddenly shouted loudly. Behind me I heard my bedroom door open and the girls rushed into the hall. I could hear my little brother Sammy talking on the phone to the police and moments later a cop had the man on the floor and in hand cuffs.

Mom and Dad were in the hallway now too. Mom was looking me over carefully to see if I was hurt. "You're a lucky young lady to get away." The cop smiled and lifted the burgler off the floor.

"She's not lucky! She's an aberrant!" The man shouted. "There was no one in the hall and that vase was smashed over Rick's head!" He pointed at me accusingly.

"I'm sure the girl simply broke the vase over your friend's head before she knocked this man out." The cop nudged his foot into the other man I assumed to be Tim. "Teenagers are resourceful. You ought to know that."

"No! Her forehead was glowing!" The man struggled against the cop. "It was a weird crescent shape! She was glowing!" The cop rolled his eyes and began to drag the burglar down the stairs. "She's a dangerous Aberrant! You'll see! She'll kill you all!" We all looked at one another with looks of confusion though I'll admit I was worried. I'd never been aware of any "glowing". Did I have a tell?

The cop soon came and retrieved the other two before coming back and questioning me. Relieved that he'd given me a story I fed him the "heroic" tale of how I had heard something, got up and saw a man in the hallway. Thinking fast I smashed the vase over his head and kicked the other man who came at me. I then turned on the light and that was when the other man came up the stairs and just started shouting for no apparent reason. "Well my dear. I can't tell you why he accused you of being an aberrant however we're going to do some drug testing on him to see if he's on anything. Then we'll do a mental evaluation to see if he's goofy. If nothing turns up you know we have to send you in for an evaluation." My mom put her arms around me and pulled me to her bosom. The cop simply shrugged and sighed. "I've got to go and book them." He then turned and left.

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't panicking. I was internally hysterical! Once the other two came to they'd tell a very different story and then they'd send a whole team to come and get me! Mina put her hand on my shoulder to try and sooth me but failed. "Honey? Serena…" Mom was shaking me. "Serena!"

"She's hyperventilating." Amy said calmly as I began to feel light headed. "Quickly! Someone put their hand over her mouth!" I felt Dad cover my mouth just as my world went black.

* * *

When I woke up Mom and Dad were staring down at me with worry on their faces. "We have to hide her." Mom said softly and put her hand on the side of my face. What was she talking about? Hide me from what?

"How could we not know?" Dad asked and looked at Mom before looking at me and shaking his head. "Serena… you didn't tell us you're an Aberrant?" I fixed my eyes on the girls who looked extremely guilty. "What's worse… is that your friends know and we didn't! I feel so betrayed."

"She was probably scared to tell us!" Mom shouted and looked at me sadly. "We can't let them take her away from us though Ken. They'll kill her!" I slowly sat up and looked at Dad who was leaning against the wall.

"What can we do? They're going to find out… she's our daughter. They're going to come here and take us all away and test us." I paled and looked at the girls as Amy's hair turned Sapphire blue. Dad jumped and stared at her wide-eyed. "You're all Aberrants? All of you?" They nodded as he threw up his arms. "Great!"

Raye stepped forward and frowned. "Mr. Tsukino… you must understand why we never said anything. We couldn't risk it. Seeing as we're all compromised… we have to leave. You have to let Serena go so we can leave. You can't know where we're going or they'll find out." Dad simply blinked then looked at me.

"I can fix this!" I cried and jumped up. "If I go down there I can erase their memories and they'll only know what I want them to! I just have to be near them!" I offered with my palms up. As if I had flipped a switch I saw fear rush through my father. Not a fear for me, but of me. "No… Daddy… I've never…"

"Get out of my house! I will not have someone who can erase minds in my house. I will not tell them anything about you but you have to leave." I couldn't believe what was happening. My father was actually throwing me out of my house because I was an Aberrant. "Go! All of you!"

I couldn't help myself. I turned away from them all and ran out of the house. I ignored everything. I just ran, blindly ran with tears in my eyes. This was a mess, your family was supposed to protect you in times like this not kick you out!

Suddenly I felt myself collide with someone and we both tumbled down to the ground. "Ouf!" I found myself lying atop a man and without thinking, I pressed my face into his chest and began crying. "Hey… hey!" He suddenly realized the girl on his chest was crying. "No need to cry miss." He lifted me away from him and suddenly I was staring into two chestnut brown eyes with gold flakes in them. I felt myself inhale sharply, as if someone had puched me in the stomach. Those eyes! They were so beautifully addicting. "As much as I'm enjoying this position… can you move a little so I can stand up?"

"Oh… yeah… sorry." I wiped the tears from my eyes as I rolled away from him and he stood up. "I hope I didn't hurt you at all." I finally looked up at him and felt my heart flutter. The man standing over me was breathtakingly handsome. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders and silver hair that fell to his shoulders in a carefree way. I say he was handsome and yet, he was nothing like the type of man I attributed to the word. Darien was handsome… actually, I take that back. Darien was mouth-watering. This guy was… I don't know how to describe it.

"You look like a woman who's had a rough time." He offered his hand with a smile and for some reason I immediately took it. He effortlessly pulled me to my feet and stared into my eyes, his held so much mystery. "My name's Diamond." He finally whispered and I realized that our faces were mere inches apart.

"Serena." I whispered in response and heard the frantic footsteps of my friends approaching. "That would be my friends." I forced myself to pull away from him and turned just in time to see them round the corner and stop. "It was nice meeting you Diamond." I smiled and walked to my friends who were staring at Diamond with concern.

"Who is that?" Mina stared at him until he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction. "He's got lust written all over him… but in that sweet sense." She smiled slightly and looked at me with a childish glimmer in her eyes. "He's cute."

"I don't like him." Amy said meekly and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Tell me you're not going to see him again." The sincerity in her eyes took me by surprise. Amy never said she didn't like someone. "Promise me."

"I don't even know the guy!" I cried and looked from one friend to the next. What was up with them lately? I heard a snort come from Lita and when I looked at her I could see anger blazing in Raye's eyes. "What the hell's the matter with you guys?"

Lita stepped forward and looked into my eyes determinately. "I could feel how close you were to him. If you don't know him… then why were you two about to kiss?" I blinked at her and took a step back. "Well?"

"I… we were not! He had just helped me up! That's all!" I held up my hands. Honestly, of all the things in the world, I didn't need this. Not tonight. My parents had just kicked me out and now my friends were ragging on me. Yay! Happy birthday to me! "Look! I didn't do anything wrong okay? I ran into the guy that's it!"

"I think he knows who you are." Raye offered frankly and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's far too early for someone to just be out walking around." Her violet eyes were ablaze with what reminded me of fire. She was reading the future, I could tell. "I can't read anything on him." She shook her head and looked at Amy.

"I'm not surprised. He's an Aberrant too. He's powerful… I think he's a level ten." She hesitated and looked at me. "That means he could be bad news… especially because he's a persuader and a detector… among other things."

"You're saying that… he knows we're all Aberrants?" I took a deep breath as Amy nodded and looked at me sadly. "Wow… so… is that a bad thing? I mean he's a level ten… and he's a detector so he knows that you know he's an Aberrant."

Amy seemed to mull the thought around in her mind and shrugged. "Look Serena… the thing is… it seemed like he was scanning the area for a particular Aberrant and… then he stopped. I think he was looking for you." I took a step back and stared at her wide eyed.

"Yeah, we saw him the other day and you said he was scanning Ames…" Mina said innocently as Lita smacked her upside the head. "Ow! Hey! That hurt!"

"The point is… he's searching for Aberrants and I have this suspicion that he's been evaluated." We all gasp that time. What Amy was proposing was dangerous, very dangerous. If the government was using a powerful Aberrant to detect other Aberrants then we could be in trouble. "Besides, now we're on the watch list. Those cops are going to find out the truth and they're going to come looking for all of us. We need to hide somewhere… somewhere they won't look for us." Amy sighed. "We can't go home, we can't go to school… we can't go anywhere they might find us."

"But… my things… Luna!" I cried as I felt the weight of the situation fall on me. _I'm here._ Luna's cute little voice appeared in my mind and I turned towards Lita who was holding a large bag that I knew to be mine. Luna was uneasily sticking her head out of it and looking at me with hopeful eyes. "Okay… well… you guys… I hate to go Rambo on you but… they won't be looking for you. Only me. They won't suspect you because my parents won't say anything about you. I'm the only one in hot water here." I paused and looked at each of them. "They'll come looking for me at your houses so I'm the only one that needs to hide."

"I have an idea." Raye stepped forward and looked at me. "I know where you'll be safe." We all looked at her with anticipation for her next sentence.

* * *

We all stood in the doorway of a hallway leading into a rather large apartment as Raye pleaded my case to the one person I didn't want to turn to. "Look, this was totally unexpected and we were all shocked that her parents did this. I mean, yeah she's eighteen but to just kick her out for no reason? She has nowhere to go… so… please… as a favor to me?" We all watched in wonder as Darien's deep blue eyes shifted to me then back to her as he whispered something inaudible."What's your point?" She crossed her arms and seemed to glare at him. After a brief staredown his broad muscular shoulders fell and he ran a hand through his dark black locks.

"You're not funny." He snapped and turned on his heels. He disappeared into the apartment and Raye triumphantly turned to us with a smile.

"He'll let her stay." She proudly strolled over to me and gave me a wink. "Hey, if you manage to do what I didn't you'll tell me what I missed out on right?" She grinned as he appeared at the end of the hallway again with an annoyed look ok his face.

"Okay meatball head. You can stay but I have rules. First, you're in my apartment, my living space so you will respect me. Second, you will clean up after yourself and not bother me with all of your petty whining." I felt myself becoming flushed as I gazed at him as he stared at me as if challenging me to disobey him.

"I don't think I can do this…" I whispered to Raye who simply snorted and turned towards the door to leave. "Wait! You guys!" I pleaded but only received a sympathetic gaze from Amy. The sound of the door shutting echoed in my ears and frankly… it was the loudest sound I had ever heard.

When I turned back towards Darien his posture had changed and somehow looked more… inviting. His eyes were studying me and after a little while he smiled and stepped forward holding out his hand and motioning towards my bag. "Here, follow me." He quickly picked up the bag and began to walk to a small hallways off to the left. "Your room will be over here. Fell free to decorate it as you see fit. Since this is your home now I expect you to make yourself comfortable." He set my bag down and stood in what would be my new room, silently looking around.

_LET ME OUT!_ Luna's pleading cries rushed into my mind and I hurridly dove down to the floor and opened the bag so she could jump out. "Oh Luna! I'm so sorry!" I cried and hugged her close to me. She held onto me as if I was going to give her a bath then she squirmed to be let down. When I released her she rushed out of the room and into the apartment to explore.

"I didn't know you had a cat." Darien's amused tone reminded me that I was not the only one in the room. I could feel his eyes on me and I'll admit I couldn't help but pry. I reached out and entered his mind.

_Of all the things… for Meatball head to be here. I wonder why her parents would kick her out like this. It doesn't make sense._ I bit my lip and felt my heart jump as he knelt down and placed one of his powerful hands on my shoulders. "Hey, don't worry about your parents. I'm sure they'll ask you to come back… and if they don't. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like."

"What about your life? Won't that interfere with your… schedule?" I questioned. I didn't want to continue on the subject of my parents. It was too risky and I didn't want to chance revealing myself to him. If I did then I'd really be out a place to stay.

Darien chuckled as he patted my shoulder and stood. He took a few steps towards the door then turned towards me and grinned. "Just what schedule do you think you'd interrupt?" I opened my mouth then thought better of it and simply looked down at the ground. I couldn't be my normal self around him if I hopped you stay. "Oh, come on… I know you have something to say."

"I just… you know don't want to inconvieniece you. I mean… I don't want to be the reason you don't have company over or anything." I shrugged then, heard a hearty laugh. It warmed my heart to hear him laugh so genuinely but at the same time it was unsettling.

"Meatball head, you are company." He then walked out of the room, his laugh trickling after him. I balled my fists and felt my face go red. I hated the way he just so aloofly got a raise out of me! _This is going to be overly difficult. It's hard enough to just talk to her at the arcade every day_! I then stood and marched after him. I was ready for any type of confrontation he could give me. Afgter all, if he thought I was going to be so difficult then maybe we just needed to hash it all out right now.

"Do you have some sort of issue with me Darien?" I spat as I marched into the living room where he was sitting on the couch petting Luna. The little traitor had her eyes closed and was leaning into his hand with a loud purr erupting from her throat. He looked at me, his eyes wide with shock as he digested my question.

"I think someone's tired. Why don't you go and get some sleep. I'm sure it's been a rough morning for you." I could tell he was trying to be nice, he was wanting to avoid conflict. After all, this was his sanctuary and I'm sure he resented the idea of me being here in the first place. Sure he was being generous in letting me stay but I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that he was allowing me to stay just so he could gloat later on.

"Seriously Shields. Do you have an issue with me?" I put my hands on my hips and waited for an answer as he sighed and shook his head from side to side. "You do don't you?"

"Stop it Serena." He glared at me fiercely. The intensity in his eyes both scared and exhilarated me, that and the fact that he called me by my name. "I don't have any issues with you other than the fact that you're trying to pick a fight with me right now for no reason! I just want to sit here, watch some news, then start my day. Is that so hard to believe or are you stupid enough to think that I just want to fight all the time?" I stared at him wide-eyed. There we go, even when we didn't have an audience he called me stupid… and it hurt.

I quickly turned and walked into the room Darien had given me and shut the door. I don't know why he affected me so much but he did. Then again if I didn't provoke him so much perhaps he wouldn't say the things he did but it didn't matter. It actually hurt when he called me names and told me I was stupid because he was so wrong… or, maybe… he was right. "He probably is." I whispered and threw myself onto the bed face down so I could cry.

A few seconds later I heard a knock at the door and then it opened. If the sound of a person inhaling sharply could be any louder I wouldn't have known it because it sounded as if all the air had been sucked out of the atmosphere and he was trying to take one last breath.

I'll tell you the truth, what happened next forever changed the way I would look at Darien Shields. Remember, I was upset, I had just been kicked out, the police were going to be looking for me, and I was now living with the Jerk face. Needless to say, I didn't control my wandering mind and I found myself searching through his as he slowly entered the room.

Now, I don't know how much you know about the human mind but to see the inside of one is like exploring a maze of filing cabinets. For every person, place, thing, etc there is a file in the mind that governs what one perceives and interprets that subject to be. To my surprise I found the file labeled "Serena" and quickly dove in. Flashes of memories invaded my mind and to my surprise, they were all associated with a pleasant feeling.

A sudden realization hit me. After all this time of thinking that he hated me, I couldn't be farther from the truth. Based on what I was finding now, he actually loved me. "Hey, meatball head?" I felt the bed depress as he sat on it and placed a hand on my back. I shivered as electricity traveled through me, originating from the place where his hand was. It spread through my body like a wildfire and that was when I happened upon the more… mature part of the mental file Darien kept on me. I quickly pulled out of his mind and sat up. Staring at him with shock.

The only thought going through my head as he looked at me with concern was:_ Oh my God! Darien Shields wants to have sex with me! ME! Meatball head! He turned Raye down but he wants me!_


	3. Hunted

Hey hey, let me know what you think of this chapter. :D **REVIEW** please.

* * *

Hunted

"Look, Meatball head… I'm sorry I just yelled at you. I don't mean to. Forgive me?" As I stared into those deep blue orbs I felt all of my previous feelings towards him melt away. I didn't hate him at all, I really did care about him and I wanted to be friends. More than friends but still… after so many years, how could we just move away from enemyhood?

"Yeah, I forgive you… you're right I've had a rough morning. Thank you for understanding and giving me a place to stay." He smiled genuinely then nodded and stood. How confusing he was. I mean, how many guys are mean to women that they love? "Hey, jerk face?" I asked as he went to step out of the room.

"Yes meatball head?" He turned and looked at me with a calm smile and a relaxed demeanor. I wanted so badly to just throw myself in his arms but I wouldn't I was well aware of the fact that I was what one would consider "vulnerable".

"Thank you again." I smiled and for a brief moment he seemed as though he was deep in thought. Finally he nodded and left the room allowing me a moment to look around. The room I was in was fairly large and the king sized bed fit perfectly within it. The room was completely white, the carpet, the walls, even the bedspread was white! The one thing that lent itself to color was the wall made up or large floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed a panoramic view of the city. Sighing, I stepped forward and thought about everything that had happened and had yet to happen. I imagined that soon, the police would discover the truth, then I would be hunted. There would most likely be a missing persons report or something. The whole city would be searching for me soon… then… when Darien saw the reports he'd accuse me of lying. The whole thing looked bleak. Perhaps I really did have to leave town, maybe I should just leave and not tell a soul where I'm going.

For some reason the thought of leaving this apartment, leaving Darien, hurt me greatly. When did I let myself become so attached to him? I wondered then turned back to the large bed. That thought would have to wait for a later time because I was definitely tired. I would stay as long as I could then, if I had to leave, I would.

* * *

Walking through the park under the full moon I paused at the cold concrete bench that offered my feet some well-needed rest. I had been walking all night, thinking of what to do. As I sat down a voice interrupted my thoughts, it was a soft masculine voice, one that I knew well. Looking up I saw Diamond smiling at me, his eyes almost black in the dark night. "Hey Diamond. Why are you out so late?"

"I'm looking for you. Serena… come away with me." He held out his hand and seemed to wait for my response. I simply shook my head. Running wouldn't solve anything. No matter where I went I would be hunted. They knew about me. "Serena…they're looking for you. Come away with me, I can keep you safe, I can hide you. I've hidden from them for so long I know how to." He tried to reassure me.

"I can't go Diamond. My friends and family are here. I don't want to be so far away from them… I know it's stupid, I know they'll find me but I won't go quietly." I stared into his eyes and saw an unhappy frown wash over his face.

"You don't understand Serena. The normals aren't the ones looking for you. You're being hunted by other Aberrants. I have searched for you for a long time and now that I've found you I'm not going to let them take you away." I gasp as he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. "You want to come with me Serena. We could be great together. We could rule the entire earth with the power that rests between us… don't you see that?" I swallowed and closed my eyes so he couldn't persuade me. I knew of his powers now and I wouldn't let him in. He tried desperately to break into my mind but finally relented and backed off. "Serena, your beacon has been sent. They are coming for you and when they find you… I'm not sure what they're going to do. I only ask that you love me and come with me."

"Love you?" I stared at him in shock. What made him think I felt anything towards him, much less love? "I don't love you Diamond. I'm sorry but I don't." He narrowed his eyes and moved his other hand to my forehead, his pointer finger pressing on me. A black symbol that looked like a down turned crescent appeared on his forehead as I felt a warm sensation on my own forehead. "What is this?" I asked in hesitation.

"We are opposites Serena. Don't you see? We have the same powers, light versus dark. That is how the world balances itself out, we are meant for one another. Two parts of a whole. Together we can't be found, our beacons cancel and no one can detect us. Not even those who hunt us. If you come with me Serena, you will be safe." He removed his finger and materialized a mirror. Sure enough I saw the inverse of his symbol on my own forehead. Mine was golden and glowed a warm light whereas his was black and seemed to take in light. "Haven't you ever heard that opposites attract? How do you think I knew where to find you?" I looked at him and then back into the mirror. Could this be real? Why were other Aberrants searching for me? "You have many questions Serena, far too many for me to answer now… you'll be waking soon."

"This is a dream?" I knitted my brow and sighed. "So none of this is real?" I smiled and felt myself lifting from my place on the bench.

I woke and sleepily rubbed my eyes. What a dream THAT was! "It's very real Serena." The sound of Diamond's voice stopped me dead in my actions and caused me to open my eyes and fix on him. "Please, don't be alarmed. I had to talk to you, tell you what's going on." I looked at the door and wondered if Darien knew he was here. "He doesn't know. That idiot could be staring at me and still not know I was here… he's so blind." I blinked and looked at Diamond with caution now. How had Diamond gotten into Darien's penthouse apartment without being detected? What kind of guy was Diamond? "Serena, you're coming with me whether you want to or not. As I said in your dream, they're after you. You're beacon's been sent."

"What are you talking about my beacon? This doesn't make sense! I've never heard of opposite Aberrants or anything else you've said thus far!" He glanced towards the door and seemed to tense for a moment. "Look, I haven't asked to be rescued or anything so…" My mouth clamped shut, I could feel Diamond forcing my body to betray me as he slowly approached the bed.

"Don't say anything more Serena. I can't have him knowing I was here." My eyes widened as he moved onto the bed and over me, his face was so close to mine. "Do you know how hard it is… to be so near you and not act on my feelings of lust for you?" I glanced at the door and almost willed Darien in the room. Diamond had me, I'm not sure when he'd broken into my mind but he had and thought I still had the faculties of my mind, my body was in Diamond's control. He could do anything he wanted to me and I could do nothing to stop him. "I don't want to control you Serena. I want you to want me." He lowered his face to mine and rest his forehead on mine. Our lips were so close I could feel the warmth coming from his skin. The warm sensation I felt on my forehead from my dream surfaced as he smiled at me. "Serena, I can make your wildest fantasies come true… come with me." He pressed his lips to mine and moved his one of his hands to the back of my neck to pull me closed to him.

My mind was screaming as his other hand began to roam me. I didn't want this and I hated the way my body responded to him. I hated the fact that I could feel him manipulating my body, making it long for his touch. I tried desperately to connect minds with Darien but Diamond was blocking me and just like that he had control of me. I felt his mind fill mine and his kissed immediately became more demanding. His hands moved up my shirt and his fingers brush against my breast. Somewhere in my mind I was protesting this but at the same time he was pushing erotic, lustful thoughts in, he was making me long for him, making me want him! I opened my mouth to protest, to scream for help and was surprised by the words that left my lips. "Yes, Diamond… please…" I inwardly gasp! My tone was so pleading, so breathy! NO! I didn't want this! I fought against him mentally, regaining a little of myself until finally I felt myself force him from my mind and at the same time, from my body. He lifted off of the bed and away from me as a result of my own mind taking control of him. Suddenly I felt power surging through me, as if I had just drank a whole case of energy drinks and God… It felt amazing!

As suddenly as it had appeared I felt the power leave me and both my mind and body become exhausted. "Meatball head, hey, are you ever going to come out of there?" I heard Darien knock on the door. Diamond disappeared just as the door opened and Darien peaked in. "You okay?" Darien pushed the door open suddenly and rushed over to the bed. "You look sick." He stared at me with concern and put a hand on my forehead. Unlike the way I had responded to Diamond, when Darien touched me I felt my body alight with need. "You're burning up! What am I going to do with you?" He smiled at me and made me want to jump him. I knew why my forehead was hot, it was my symbol that had recently glowed there. My exhaustion was something else altogether.

"It's okay Darien… I think I just had the covers over my head. That's all. I feel just fine. No worries." I smiled and sat up. I could see the doubt on his face and shook my head to assert myself. "Look Jerk face, just because I'm staying here doesn't mean you have to pretend to care about my health." He rolled his eyes and shook his head in silent resignation.

"Fine then meatball head. I won't." He stood and crossed his muscular arms as he stared at me for a moment. A slight blush appeared on his face, which made me flush a bright red I'm sure. "So um… are you going to come out of this room and eat something? It's two in the afternoon you know?" I briefly tapped into his mind and saw him pushing away thoughts of us together in the bed I was in. I quickly got up and nodded. "Okay, what do you want pizza?" He switched gears and began to think of pizza. I was both relieved and saddened. I'll admit, Diamond had done a number on my… hormones and I was still a little… excited. I sort of wanted to see what fantasies Darien had about me.

"Pizza would be great." I smiled and stared at him as he seemed to be surveying me. I remained in his mind and felt my heart flutter as he was mentally appraising me as the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. That's right ladies and gents, he thought of me as a woman and NOT a girl! Score one for me! "How about pepperoni? I like pepperoni." He nodded and turned towards the door. "Hey, I'll be out in a little bit, let me change into something a little more appropriate." I blushed as I realized I was still in my camisole and shorts, I wasn't wearing a bra… I wasn't comfortable sleeping in one.

"You don't have to. I don't care what you wear." He shrugged and walked out of the room to leave room for me to change if that's what I decided. I began to peel off my camisole, thinking of what Diamond had done, then, I realized, I could have a lot of fun teasing Darien! All the years he had tortured me, I could torture him. Now that I realized that he actually had the hots for me… I could play a little couldn't I? So, confident I pulled my camisole back on and walked into the living room confidently.

"Are you going to call or should I?" I asked and plopped myself onto the couch. I made sure to bounce a little bit which caused certain parts of my anatomy to bounce a little too. I stared at Darien innocently as he gazed at me with a blank expression. Oh, he was good at hiding it but I could see that I had struck a cord with him on that one. I inhaled deeply, pushing out my chest as I did so then pouted a bit. "Ddddaaarrrriiiieeeennn! I'm huuunnnngryyyy!" I drawled out and leaned forward revealing my cleavage. He inhaled sharply and pivoted on his heels to grab the cordless phone on the wall. I smiled to myself. Yup, this was going to be fun. I had never teased a guy like this, I'd never been interested before but I wanted to experiment. How far could I push him?

Darien ordered the pizza and sat in the chair as far away from me as possible. I simply stared at him as he flipped on the large flat screen TV and began searching through the menu for a movie. "So… what um… what do you want to watch?" He breathed and glanced at me briefly. I bit my lip and crawled along the couch towards him. You better damn well bet he watched me do it too, because he did. When I was close enough to him I stretched out and held out my hand for the remote.

"Let me look." I smiled and tilted my head to the side. His eyes were fixed on my face but I saw him take a few glances down. "Please?" He didn't say a word as he handed me the remote and snapped his face back towards the large screen. I flipped through the menu items and decided on a horror film. If I acted scared and latched onto him it would definitely be a tease. He groaned as I imagined he realized the same thing.

_Does she have any idea what she's doing to me?_ He mentally grumbled and glared at me. I simply smiled happily and stared at the TV. Of course I knew what I was doing. After all these years it was my turn to do the teasing. I could forget about the fact that I was being hunted for one night right? Besides, if Diamond came back it was hard to tell what he'd do. Tonight may well be my last night to be around Darien. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and before I could say anything Darien was up and at the door to get the pizza. I stared at him as he retrieved the pizza from the guy and paid him. I caught a glimpse of the guy and at the same time he looked at me. A few more words were said and Darien shut the door in the guy's face.

"Did you just slam the door in that guy's face?" I asked amusedly as he set the pizza down on the coffee table and left to retrieve plates and some drinks. He didn't respond but I could tell by his stiff posture and darkened eyes that the pizza guy had said something about me. "Are you angry?"

"No, not at all." He lied and sat on the floor in front of the couch so he could have better access to the pizza. I sat on the couch so close to him that my leg slightly brushed his arm. Shrugging I leaned over and grabbed a piece of pizza then slid onto the floor next to him. _She has to stop._ He said firmly in his mind.

"Thank you again for letting me stay, and ordering pizza." I nudged him with my arm and smiled as he nodded absently. Maybe I was being a little too harsh on him. I definitely wanted to tease him but I didn't want to drive him to the brink of insanity.

_You're playing with fire Serena. Stop baiting him._ Diamond's voice filled my head. I bit my lip and tried to force him out. Oh how I was starting to hate Diamond. He wasn't supposed to be able to connect with me from so far away… wherever he was. _I'm the only one you should be teasing like that. If you keep going like you are he's going to snap and force you into bed with him. _I smiled at the thought. It wouldn't be forcing me if I willingly went right? _I'm warning you woman, if you give him what's mine I will come after you and it won't be to protect you._

I ignored Diamond. If I wanted to be with Darien I would be. I could care less what Diamond thought. Soon I found myself watching the movie and latching onto Darien's arm. He struggled to pull away but for the current moment, I was truly scared! "AH!" I yelped and buried my face in the nape of his neck, completely unaware of the fact that I had truly gone too far in teasing him. After the scary part had passed I released him and he stood up immediately, his back to me. "Darien?"

"I'm going to bed." He stated flatly and walked towards his room. The door closed shut just behind him and shortly after that I heard the water running. He was taking a shower? Had I excited him so much that he had to get in the shower? In a way I felt bad but in another I didn't. I returned to the movie and for the first time that night I regretted picking it. I was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.

I somehow nodded off to sleep on the couch and awoke to a dark living room. Everything was pitch black but I could feel someone in the room. "Darien?" I whispered hopefully and suddenly felt hands over my mouth. Nope, not Diamond! I struggled and soon two other sets of hands were on me, restraining my movements and lifting me from the couch. Honestly, after having a similar thing happen the other night I wasn't about to use my powers. Then again, why was I attracting all the burglars? I bit the guy's hands that were over my mouth and screamed for help.

"Come on, hurry and get her out of here. Someone else is here." I paled. These men were after me! They weren't burglars at all! I felt them carrying me towards the door when the lights flipped on. "Holy shit." They quickly set me on the floor and stepped away from me as I could hear Darien tromp down the hall. I turned and looked at him, I just about melted as I did too. Darien was built! I had never realized how massive he was until he was standing over me, glaring at the men at my feet. His bare chest slowly rose and fell with his breathing as he glared at the men in front of him. Reminding myself that I had plenty of time to admire him later I stared at the men at my feet and took a good inventory of them. There were three of them, each with long hair pulled back in pony tails. One was average height and had black hair and blue eyes, the second one was shorter and had white hair with green eyes, and the third was tall with brown hair and brown eyes. All three were lean but toned.

"Get out of my apartment." Darien snapped threateningly. "Serena, get behind me." He demanded. I followed directions and stared on in wonder as the black haired intruder shook his head and rushed at Darien so quickly it was hard to see him. The man punched Darien in the stomach and Darien simply stared at the guy. Without hesitation Darien grabbed the intruder by the neck and began to squeeze. "Why are you here?" The man pointed at me and Darien looked over his shoulder at me. "Forget her and get out." Darien dropped him to the ground and his friends gathered him up. All three left, then Darien turned and looked at me. I simply stared at him and blushed as I admired his body. Goddamn he was hot! He was shirtless and was wearing black slacks, that's it ladies. If he were a dessert I would have eaten him up. Yummy… "What's going on Serena? Why were those men here?"

"It's a long story." I shrugged and turned towards my room. I was stopped short by one of Darien's large hands clamping down on my shoulder and turning me back towards him.

"I've got all night Serena. Spill it." He stared at me and crossed his arms. I gulped and wondered how I was going to tell him this. It was a difficult thing to tell.


	4. The Chosen One

Enjoy this one yeah? **REVIEW!**

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The Chosen One

I stood in front of Darien after telling him the truth and he simply stared at me. I didn't dare read his mind. I was too afraid. Finally he shook his head and stepped towards me, cupping my face with his hands he looked into my eyes and smiled. "Serena, you have nothing to fear when you're with me. I promise." He released me and looked back towards the door. "Anyone else I should know about? Those guys were hunters. They're only out to do one thing. Find their target. They're shape shifters but that's about it."

"How can you know that?" I stared at him with confusion evident on my face. Oh how I wanted him in this moment. "How do you know they're shape shifters?"

"Serena… I… I'm an Aberrant too. They came after me a few years ago and I recognize them… though they were women when they came to get me." I shuddered and looked at Darien with a smile. So, Darien was an Aberrant too. Maybe he knew something about all the ramblings of Diamond.

"No, they're not the only ones after me. There's another guy… he's more persistent though… he almost… he… was here… earlier." Darien inhaled sharply and looked at the room he'd given me. "He was going on and on to me about a bunch of stuff. He said that I was his opposite and that we were meant to be together. He said that I was being hunted by Aberrants and if I didn't go with him then they would get me."

"This guy, has an opposite symbol than you?" Darien's face twisted with concern as I nodded. "You have to stay away from him. He's bad news." Darien shook his head. "You're not meant to be with him and even though it may seem logical, it's not true. If he's your opposite then his sole purpose in life is to cancel you out. He'll be drawn to you, strongly drawn to you but you have to resist him. He doesn't know he's doing it but you two will kill one another if you continue to meet." I stared at Darien in amazement. Why did it seem that everyone else knew more about Aberrants then I did? "Don't believe him. Just like regular people, we get to love who we want. We get to choose who we want to be with."

"And you want to be with me." I said softly and saw the surprise in his eyes. "I'm a reader. I'm sorry but I was…" He held up his hand and looked at me hesitantly. Without warning he pressed his lips to mine and pulled me against him. Every inch of my body burned with excitement and I returned his kiss hungrily. He stepped into me, forcing me back against the wall and then… oh… my… God! I'm not one to kiss and tell but this kiss was… phenomenally wonderful! He lifted me from the ground effortlessly, he held onto my ass as he continued to kiss me and I wrapped my legs around him. His lips devoured mine and then moved to my neck where they elicited many more sensations that caused a few rather pornographic moans to escape my throat.

A sudden pain shot through my head and caused me to cry out and grab my head. "Serena? Serena! What's happening?" Darien asked me desperately. I tried to answer but nothing of meaning came out of my mouth. My head hurt that much. I knew what it was… rather who it was. It was Diamond, stopping me from doing anything with Darien.

"Its…. Him…." I gasp and squeezed my eyes shut. Darien gently moved my hands away and placed his own on the sides of my face. Pressing his head against my forehead he hummed a happy tune and I felt my pain begin to lift away. I smiled and opened my eyes to see his eyes fixed intensely on me. "You're a healer." I sighed as he nodded and once again kissed me.

"Yes, I am, and you're safe with me. I'll kill anyone who thinks they're going to hurt you." He then put me down and took my hand. "Sleep with me tonight? I don't mean anything sexual by that either."

"Wouldn't matter if it was sexual. I would say yes regardless." I let him lead me into his room where we crawled into bed. I snuggled close to him and happily closed my eyes.

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In the morning I awoke to Darien lying quietly beside me. He was fully awake and was watching me intensely. Smiling I turned towards him and saw a tiredness in him that bothered me. "Darien? Is everything all right?"

"Yes. I'm a little tired. I stayed up last night to be sure no one else came after you." He then turned and reached for a remote to the large TV and flipped it on. "You were right. The police have issued a missing person's report for you. The whole town will be searching." I stared at him for a while and realized that something else was bothering him. "I'm afraid for you Serena." He finally breathed and looked at me fully.

"Why? You said I was safe here." I blinked and closed my eyes as he gently stroked my cheek. The idea that I was laying next to Darien in his bed, he stroking my cheek, well… it was an amazing concept.

"Serena… those guys who were here last night. They're only assigned to high profile cases." I stared at him with wide eyes. The implications of his words both worried and excited me. Seeing the question in my eyes he sighed and let his head fall to the pillow below him. "Is it possible Serena… that you're more powerful than you think you are? It's obvious that you're a level ten but you have to have more importance than that. Not that you're not important. You are. I've loved you since the day I laid eyes on you but… because I'm an Aberrant I didn't want to drag you into anything. I'm still hesitant. I could hurt you Serena and I don't want that."

"Hurt me? What do you mean you could hurt me?" I moved closer to him to try and push the negativity away from him. Sure, we'd had our differences but Darien would never hurt me.

"I'm a level ten as well. In addition to being a heeler… well… I suppose I'm sort of like superman." With that said he chuckled a bit and continued. "I'm ridiculously strong. The physique I possess is just natural, I don't even work out! I've never been sick, the weather is influenced by my mood, I'm superhumanly fast, and for some reason, I'm incredibly attractive." The last part he said with a broad smile that could melt even the most butch lesbian. "Most of all I suppose, is the fact that I have a terrible temper." I smiled and touched his face. I didn't mind all that. He was right, he was incredibly good looking.

"I'm fine with all of that." I thought about the conversation that I had with the girls about him and felt myself blush. "I do have one question. I've heard that you're a bit of a ladies' man… Is that true? Have you… you know… with a lot of women?"

Darien smirked and positioned his face above mine before responding. "Everything that you've heard, It's an entertaining thought but no. It's not true. I've had plenty of women chasing after me and I've dated a few but I have not been intimate with very many. I'd say… five women total."

"Oh." I blushed and removed myself from his arms. "I need to take a shower." I mumbled and stood up. I could feel his eyes on me as I moved. I did need to take a shower, but I also needed to think. I wasn't really in a position to start any kind of relationship. With Diamond after me and those hunter guys… I needed some me time.

I moved around, collecting clothes and a towel for myself before walking into the bathroom and locking the door. Alone at last. Gazing into the mirror I sighed and touched my forehead where the symbol had appeared. What did that symbol mean and why did Diamond have an opposite one? Who was telling the truth? Diamond or Darien? No, perhaps the real question was, who knew the truth? Turning towards the shower I turned the knob and waited for the water to get hot before turning on the sprayer and undressing.

Stepping into the water I felt tension leave my body as if I had been a tightly wound rubber band. Oh the wonders of hot water, really, what a wonderful invention. I let it pour over my body as I thought about Darien. We were both Aberrants and it seemed as though we were somewhat destined to be together. Since the moment I laid eyes on him I wanted to be with him and now was my chance. Now, with all of this chaos going on around me. No, I couldn't do that, with everything that's going on, to start a relationship would be wrong. I couldn't offer Darien anything except difficulty. Maybe I did need to leave. I could, I could leave and just not tell anyone where I'm going. I had to.

Then again, the kiss Darien had given me last night… my God! He could turn a nun into a pole dancer with kisses like that! I paused and frowned. I deserved a little romance right? Maybe I should run away and take him with me. One thing was for sure though, I wasn't safe here, in this apartment. Both Diamond and the hunters had been here.

Frustrated now I grabbed the bottle of shampoo near me and drenched my hair with it. Having hair that goes down to your knees ladies, is not what I would call fun. Sure, it's beautiful but the maintenance! I lathered my hair up and closed my eyes as I leaned into the water once more. The cascade ran down me, the soapy suds traveling the length of me. I finished with my hair and felt a sudden, overwhelming sensation to get out of the shower. Finishing my hair I opened my eyes and was met with dark brown ones.

Opening my mouth to scream Diamond rushed forward and shoved me against the tiled wall, his hand over my mouth as he intensely focused on my eyes. I quickly blocked my mind and looked away from him and at the door. It was still shut, and locked. Then I remembered one small fact. Diamond was a teleporter. He'd teleported out of my room when Darien had entered. Shit.

I glanced back at Diamonds eyes and noticed how menacing they had become, dangerous, as if some unseen force had overtaken him and was now controlling him. Leaning forward he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered darkly to me. "Serena, you did a very bad thing earlier, you know that? I told you to get away from him and you didn't. You let him touch you and it makes me sick to think that you'll kiss him but refuse to at least consider me." I swallowed hard and turned my head away from him as much as possible. "What do I have to do?" He suddenly asked with a sad tone. Why do you choose him over me?" I looked at him and saw the sadness and sincerity in his now lighter eyes. "Serena, I don't want to force you to do anything, but I want you to see who's really meant for you… I am, don't you see that?" He removed his hand and looked into my eyes. "Look, no mind control, no force." He stepped back, releasing me from his grasp. "I can protect you. I can make it so you don't have to run or hide. What's he going to do? Pound all the bad guys into pulp? Is that what you want? That's what you get if you pick him."

"I'm sorry Diamond but I just don't love you. I do love him." I saw him wilt a little as his eyes glazed over with quiet sadness. "I really hope you find someone but it's not me." I rested my hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Fine. Pick him. If you're going to be that foolish then I won't interfere. I warn you though, there are people after you who will do terrible things to you. You are the chosen one and they will stop at nothing to possess you." He spat hatefully. "When they lock you up and turn you into a science experiment remember that I could have saved you. I could have spared you the pain and loneliness; but you picked him." With that Diamond disappeared, leaving me alone and shivering under the now cold water. What did he mean by saying that I was the chosen one? Chosen one for what? This was all turning into one big mess.

When I walked out of the bathroom and into the living room I was suddenly tacked to the ground and someone was tickling me. Unfortunately the impact of the floor had knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't breath. "Jesus Mina! Get off of her!" I heard Raye snap and the weight on my back was lifted. Lita helped me up and took me over to the couch so I could catch my breath. I glanced around and saw Darien looking on from the kitchen, his blue eyes looking troubled. It was mostly likely my fault. I had left him in his room suddenly and hadn't given him any explanation other than the shower.

"How was your evening?" Amy waved the other girls away and sat next to me. Her blue eyes serching mine. "You had a visitor?" She whispered silently then put her hand over mine as I nodded. "What did he want? Just now?"

"He wanted me to come with him. I denied him and he told me that I was on my own, he said that I was the chosen one and that a lot of people were after me." I told the girls what he'd said and they all looked at me with concern. "What does that mean? The chosen one?"

"It means that you have the ultimate power." Darien interrupted and reached from behind the couch with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand. I looked at him surprised and quickly checked his mind to see how much he'd heard. He didn't know about Diamond being here and I was thankful for that.

"What does that mean?" Mina snapped with annoyance and placed her hands on her hips. "Serena's just a regular Aberrant. She doesn't have any special powers or anything." She held up her hands and motioned at me. Darien simply shook his head and sat in his chair which I suspected was a comfort place for him. "Amy, do you know anything about this?"

"No… I don't. I can find out." She sighed and pinched her nose. "Darien, care to tell us what you know and how you know it?" Darien looked from one girl to the next then to me and shook his head from side to side slowly. "Please Darien? If we're going to protect Serena from this then we need to know what we're up against."

"I can't tell you because I don't know anything more." Darien sighed. "Years ago, when I was a young boy, my parents discovered that I was a level ten and we were fleeing our home town to come here. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant and encountered a hooded man who kept asking me questions about myself. I couldn't really see his face… I don't remember why but I remember his glowing red eyes. He began telling me that I may be the chosen one, that he could sense power within me that was incredibly strong. That's when my parents noticed me talking to him and they pulled me out to the car. I can remember him chasing us, and eventually, our car went over a large embankment. I was the only one who survived the crash and I remember him… pulling me from the car and pressing his hand to my forehead. He then told me I wasn't the chosen one and the ultimate power was somewhere else." We all stared at him in wonderment. For years hunters followed me but every one of them eventually said the same thing and left me alone. I looks like they're after you now." Darien looked at me with concern. "I've looked it up and the only thing I have been able to understand is that the chosen one is said to contain the ultimate power and can do one of two things. He or She can save the world from the evil that has plagued the planet and deliver everyone from harm, or, this person can destroy everything we know." We all inhaled sharply. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and realized that this, was no ordinary circumstance.


	5. The Out side ers

Sorry, I know it's been a while, and I know this is a short one but... better than nothing right? I've been busy with the holidays and otherness... anyways, enjoy this chapter. Oh, I had another story pop into my head and was typing at that for a while so that contributed to the wait. What do you think... is it wrong for me to start another story? Let me know. **REVIEW!**

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The Out(side)ers

Diamond had been true to his word. It had been a week and I hadn't seen sight nor heard any word from him. In a way, I felt bad. I didn't want to break the poor man's heart but I couldn't be with him.

Darien on the other hand, oh my dear lord! He rarely left me alone. After the talk with the girls he had stayed close to me, too close in my opinion. I know he worried but I needed my space. "Serena, I need to go to work. I think I've taken as much time off as I can and still be at the top of my game." He stood in the doorway to my bedroom and frowned. "I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to…"

"Darien, I know. Go on. I'll be just fine here all by myself. I have powers remember?" I grinned as he rolled his eyes then fixed them on the ceiling. I could see that he wanted to say something, I knew what it was too. Since the nigh we kissed he'd kept his distance in the romantic sense of the word. Of course, I hadn't made that easy. Every chance I got I would flirt with him and it often ended with him swiftly removing himself from the room. It was the only way I had gained any privacy in the past seven days.

"I know… but you can't use them. If you do… more will come." He stepped forward and touched my cheek as if he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me, hell, I wanted him to do more but he had been annoyingly indifferent to me. "Please Serena, don't give yourself away." With that he kissed my forehead and left the room. After the front door had shut I smiled and leaned back on the bed. With a long sigh I realized that this was the first moment I had been alone in a long time.

This whole thing had been taxing to say the least. Not only had there been hunters looking for me but the reason behind the search had come to light. I looked at Luna who was silently sleeping on the bed and smiled. "Oh Luna… why is everything so complicated?"

"It always has been." I blinked and stared at my cat who had actually talked. Had I completely lost my mind? I mean, yeah I could always hear her thoughts but she had never actually talked to me! "Don't look so surprised Serena. You didn't really think I was a normal cat did you?" She jumped off of the bed and voila! Luna was no longer a cat!

My once darling, purring little kitty was standing in front of me in high heels and sporting a black and yellow dress. She had long black tresses and a bright, shining, upturned crescent symbol on her forehead. "Luna?" I sputtered and gawked at her, perhaps a little too long because her soft motherly gaze soon turned to that of annoyance.

"Yes! You ignorant little teenager! Ugh!" She threw her hands in the air then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What I mean to say Serena… is… I've been disguised as a cat for a long time in order to watch over you. Everything that is happening… well… this isn't the first time." She let out a long breath and sat next to me on the bed. "Aberrants are not what you think they are. The government has spun the ignorant, yet, convincing tale that Aberrants are mutants of sorts. We're not… we're actually aliens. Our symbols (she touched her forehead then mine) are birth marks of sorts. Every Aberrant has a symbol that tells others of where they came from. Haven't you ever wondered where all of the astrological signs came from? Early astrologers took the symbols from the aliens who came here long ago." I simply stared at her. I had to be dreaming, and if I wasn't… maybe I wanted to be.

"Wh… why are you telling me all of this now? If it is true and I have to say… I'm thinking I'm hallucinating… but… I just…" I covered my eyes with my hands and simply took in a deep breath of some much needed oxygen.

"I'm telling you this right now because waiting outside is a nasty group of Aberrants intent on taking you away and I'm getting tired." She seemed to wilt a little as she spoke the last phrase. "You're so powerful Serena, your beacon is stronger now than it ever has been and… I can't… hide it or shield us any longer. I'm simply not strong enough anymore." She looked at me sadly. "Without Darien here… I… I'm afraid Serena."

"What do you mean you're afraid? Luna… what are you saying to me?" I blinked as she slowly sat back on the bed and closed her eyes. Her hand searched for mine and when it found me she sqeezed.

"I'm saying… I…" I could see her beginning to nod off to sleep. The sound of the apartment door opening scared the daylight out of me. At the same time I could hear the balcony doors opening. Oh dear lord! I was trapped! I turned to the window and froze as I saw a woman with long, waving green hair smiling at me with a satisfied smirk on her face. She then opened a red feathered fan and hid her mouth with it as the bedroom door began to open. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the inevitable fight that was to ensue the full opening of the door.

I was ready, ready to fight, ready to die, ready for whatever I had to do to survive. Slowly, ever so slowly the door inched open and in stepped a familiar face. "Diamond." I gasp and stepped back towards the window. Standing behind him was a group of people all bearing his same symbol. "You… what are you doing?" His eyes shifted past me, seemingly glaring at the woman floating outside. When they fixed on me I felt cold, not to mention weak. They were not the eyes I had seen before. No, now they were black and empty.

"I've come for you. This time… I won't take no for an answer!" He shouted and lunged for me. Closing my eyes I tightened my body, anticipating his forceful grasp. It never came. I cracked my eyes open slightly and jumped back in surprise. His fingertips were millimeters from me but he seemed to be frozen in place. His eyes were a golden color and his mouth was open in what could only be described as both an angry, yet conflicted, shout.

"Disgusting isn't he?" A tall blonde stepped up beside me and sneered at Diamond's frozen face. Where had… (he, she?) come from? I looked at the person beside me then felt an odd sense of calm envelope me as green eyes fixed on me. "Close one." The voice was a that of a husky female and yet it could be male… honestly I wasn't sure. "Well, we made it one time. The name's Amarah, this is Michelle, Hotaru, and Trista." She motioned behind me and I turned to see three women standing behind me. "We're here to get you out of here."

"I'm sorry… what? Who exactly are you?" I looked from one woman to another and frowned. I didn't recognize a one of them. The woman beside me simply smiled a crooked smile and turned to the aqua haired woman named Michelle.

"We are your guardians." The youngest woman said. Her voice was whispery and made me want to shiver. Something about her almost seemed… empty. "We mean you no harm." She added. I suppose she saw the doubt in my eyes and rightfully so. I doubted this group. Two of them, Trista and Hotaru held staffs. Hotaru's was almost scythe-like and Trista's held a glowin orb atop of it. Amarah, the tall blonde had a sword on her belt and Michelle… well, she looked pretty harmless really.

"She still doubts us." Michelle shook her head and looked at Luna. "Hotaru, can you wake her?" Hotaru nodded and practically floated over to Luna. I'll admit, the teenager that was clearly younger than me was freaking me out. She held her scythe over Luna and closed her eyes. The staff began to glow and soon, Luna's eyes opened.

"Hotaru?" She blinked and quickly sat up. Her eyes fixed on me and she released a sigh of relief. "Thank God!" She looked at Diamond then looked at Trista. "You've improved since the last time I saw you."

"We have all improved Luna." Trista smiled and looked at me. "Including Serena I see. It was very easy to find her. Wise man has no doubt launched this attack." I stared at her then looked to Luna for some sort of explanation. I had never seen these women in my life yet, they seemed to know me. "We must move away from here. Hotaru may be able to shield her but it will be difficult. You could hardly contain her Luna."

"I understand this. We have to go if we are going to keep her from the likes of Wiseman." Amara sneered. She grabbed hold of my arm and started to pull me out of the room and into the area with all of the other Aberrants.

"Wait! Darien!" I cried and pulled my arm away from the masculine female. "I'm not leaving without…" She turned on me so suddenly, her eyes full of anger and fury. I'm not sure what was going through her mind but whatever it was I felt very… uncomforted.

"Who?" Her eyes turned towards Luna then onto Trista. "What did you do?" She hissed and narrowed her eyes. "You were supposed to leave him behind. He's not worthy of her!" I stared at her and wondered what the heck she was talking about. Leave Darien where?

"I couldn't do that and you know it Amarah. He would have destroyed the planet in protest." Trista sighed and looked at me. Whoever these people were, they seemed to know a hell of a lot. "We will get him. Where is he?"

"He's at work… wait, how do you know me?" I frowned as Amarah shook her head and started pulling me towards the door. "Hey! Let go of me!" I shouted and ripped my arm from her. She seemed to growl then turned to grab me again. "Don't touch me! I demand to know who you people are! The truth!" I shouted as I felt my forehead become warm.

"Amarah! Stop aggravating her!" Hotaru shouted and pointed her now glowing staff at me. She seemed to be struggling with something, as if the staff in her hands was the heaviest thing she'd ever tried to carry. "Please calm down Serena… you're going to shatter Trista's concentration… then we're going to wind up fighting." I blinked and looked around me. So Trista had frozen everyone. That was impressive.

"I'm losing it…" Trista grit her teeth before her body seemed to snap forward and the room became animated. The people around us turned and looked at us with surprise and anger on their faces. I could hear Diamond's shout then he went quiet. Everything seemed to be at a standstill until I heard Diamond's voice again.

"Kill them but leave Serena unharmed." He commanded and smirked when Amarah, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru surrounded me. "You ladies want to fight?" Diamond drawled then laughed and waved his hand in the air. Hotaru held out her staff and… what happened next, honestly, it scared the crap out of me! The staff began to glow and, as if I was in some sick horror movie (Which at this point I was convinced of it. You know, like some secrete plan to freak me out?) the aberrant around us began to fall to the ground, their eye's wide and their mouths open in pain and horror as their bodies contorted unnaturally.

As they sunk to the floor, their arms and legs almost snapping at the joints, I felt myself growing weak. My eyes felt heavy and I began to tremble with exhaustion. "Hotaru, you have to stop now." Trista commanded.

"Not yet, a little more. I want them all to suffer for what they want to do to her." Hotaru growled then jabbed her staff forward causing them all to move a few feet. As my eyelids fell Amarah hooked her arms under mine and began to lift me from the floor (which I had apparently sunk to).

"Stop now! You're draining the hell out of her!" I tried to open my eyes but only felt weak as Amarah shouted. "Hotaruuuuuuuuu…"


	6. The Future

Oh yeah, getting into the story now. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know with a **REVIEW!**

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The Future

I suppose I have developed a habit of passing out and coming to a bit later. This time I was asleep for three days. Hotaru's little "draining" trick was the equivalent to about… oh… I don't know… a MILLION sleep pills!

"What were you thinking Hotaru?" I heard Amarah snap. There was a long pause as I cracked one eye open and gazed around the room. The room was small, not too small, large enough for the king sized bed, a dresser, and a table. Hotaru was standing, leaning against the door with her arms crossed. Her eyes blazed with anger but her face remained surprisingly stoic.

She finally shrugged and pushed off of the door. "We've been over this what? A thousand times? I told you, I had to rescue us, it was either draw her powers, or… let them have her. I didn't hurt her, she's fine."

Luna had resumed her post as sweet kitty and jumped onto the bed (I was laying on the bed by the way). "Hotaru, you have to understand, what you did, though heroic, it was very dangerous. You didn't seem like you were in control of yourself." Luna's soft voice trickled through the room and seemed to dissipate in the heavy air. "Any longer and she could be hurt."

"Maybe she's not that powerful then. Maybe she isn't the chosen one." She sneered and turned her head to the side. "Is that so hard to believe?" The girls seemed to look between themselves then jumped as a large thunder clap sounded. Hotaru looked out the closed curtain window and bit her lip. "What are we going to do?"

"There's only one thing to do." Amarah said sternly. "This time, we do this right." I couldn't help but pry, I started to penetrate Amarah's mind when Michelle stepped over to me and frowned.

"She's awake, now Serena, if you have questions, you ask. There's no need to hack into our minds." I opened my eyes and looked at her. How the hell did Michelle know I was reading Amarah's mind? Who the hell were these people?

Another thunderclap shook the sky. Michelle closed her eyes then opened them again and looked down at me. "Closer this time." She sighed and looked at Amarah. "It's not right and you know it." She then looked at me again and sat down. "You want an explanation. That's fully understandable."

"Of course it is." Luna added and looked around the room before taking a deep breath. "Serena, I know that this all seems very confusing and strange but let me explain. You see, we are all from a different planet. These women here are the outers. They traveled from the other side of the asteroid ring to protect you because you are the last of the Lunarians… well, the royal family at least. A once abundant society, the Lunarians were known for their grace and tranquility. Your mother was the leader of the Lunarians. When she was young she fell in love with a man from Saturn. This man was your father, he was a collector, collectors do just what it sounds like… they collect powers, a collector can have infinite power and infinite skills. He was very powerful. When you were born, it was determined that you had inherited all of his powers, including his ability to collect."

Luna then paused as if she was flashing back on a painful memory. "We don't know what happened to him… his mother fell ill and he travelled alone to Saturn. He never arrived." Her brown eyes fixed on mine as she spoke. "it's been rumored that he was captured by a more powerful collector, one who's sole purpose is to open the gate of destruction. It is said, that he tried to use your father to open the gate but found that he was not powerful enough. Now the man who killed your father is after you. In order to protect you, I asked Trista to send you forward in time. We did a sort of… reincarnation. You were born again, you look the same as you did then, I think we need to do that again." She shook her head at me then another clap rumbled by.

"Just one second… you're telling me that this guy chased me into the future and you think that was successful? Luna… I may be blonde but I'm not stupid. I'll stand and fight!" I laughed. "I have to go find Darien, he's probably worried."

"Worried isn't the word I'd use." Hotaru smiled and pulled open the curtains to expose a black sky with lightning flashing dramatically. "I would say… he's pissed." She then turned and looked out eh window. "The tornados are going to start soon."

"Hotaru, get away from there." Michelle prompted and stood. "Call him, if you can." She added and scooted the phone towards me. Hesitantly I picked up the phone and dialed Darien's cell phone. I waited for a few moments and finally his forcedly nice voice filled the phone.

"Darien?" I breathed and the phone grew quiet. "Dare? Is that you?"

"Are you okay?" His voice was noticeably calmer, that made me smile. "Meatball head? Are you okay? Where are you?" He asked tenderly and I could almost see the worried crease in his forehead.

"I'm fine. I'm with… friends. They got me out of the apartment when the people came after me." Darien was very quiet then a thoughtful rumble traveled through the phone. He might have been upset but I was simply happy to hear his voice. "Look, Darien, I think that maybe… I'm putting you in danger."

A loud clap of thunder communicated the anger that surged through him at the suggestion of me leaving him alone. "Serena, look, you can't put me in danger. No one could physically hurt me. Oh, I found that white haired freak sneaking around the apartment." I swallowed the fear that tickled my throat. "He left though. He promised me no one would bother you anymore." I took in a much needed breath then a thought hit me. Maybe this wasn't Darien. What if it was really Diamond, controlling Darien like he had controlled me? "But you know what? Now that I know you're safe I feel better. Stay away for a few days. Relax. Come home when I'm sure everything's okay."

"Thanks Dare. You're the greatest. Bye." I hung up and looked at the women who were staring at me. "He says I should stay away for a while. Diamond apparently told him that everyone is going to leave me alone." Everyone turned to Trista with a certain look of annoyance before turning back to me.

"What if Diamond's taken over his mind Serena?" Michelle asked softly and rest a hand on my shoulder. "Diamond had the ability." I looked at her and sighed. I certainly couldn't ignore the idea; after all, Diamond was very powerful. "I will go." She stood straight. "I will go and see if Darien is telling the truth."

"I'm going with you." Amarah demanded. The two looked at one another for a brief moment then they nodded. "I'm glad you're not fighting me on this one." Michelle simply smiled and walked out of the room (which I determined to be a hotel room).

"What would make them change their minds?" Hotaru frowned and looked at Luna with curiosity. "I was just ranting earlier… I know you're the chosen one Serena. You have to be. You're the last of the royal Lunarian family… you have all of the powers. You have to be the one." I sat on the bed, wondering why the collector would give up on me.

"This isn't over." Trista said sternly and looked at the floor. "It's never over… they're going to do something."

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Amarah and Michelle returned after a while with a positive report. Darien was telling the truth and he was himself. Diamond had not taken over his body. "It's weird, it's as if they just decided to leave. They just decided to give up." Amarah sneered. "Wiseman won't give up. Look how many years he's traveled to do what he's doing." Everyone nodded while I thought about it. "I don't get why he's waiting."

"Maybe something about this time isn't working for him." I offered and smiled as Luna looked at me as if I should explain myself. "Well, these days, Aberrants are hunted, maybe it's too risky for him to be in this time. Let's face it, it would have been easier to nab me when I was a baby." Luna's eyes widened as she thought of what I was saying. "I mean, even to grab me as a small child. Not now that I'm older."

"Oh my God! That's it! This is a distraction!" Hotaru cried urgently. "His minions are here in this time to distract us from another time! Trista, the gates, they're unguarded!" Everyone looked at Trista and the room fell into a pregnant silence. "He's trying to move through time to get her while she's a child."

"If that is his goal then I cannot stop him. He doesn't use the time gate. He knows how to bypass it. If he wants Serena as a child then… he will have to go back and I can't stop him. Unless…" She paused and looked at me. "Unless… he was trying to go into the future. With the world being so uncertain right now, the future is fluctuating daily. This is the farthest point forward he can travel… does that make sense?"

"No. What would he want in the future? The past is the only way to go if he plans to capture Serena." Hotaru frowned. "You're not making any sense Trista." I looked around the room and noticed the defeated look in Luna's eyes. She seemed to know what Trista was talking about. "I mean really, Serena's right, snatching her up as a baby would make a lot of sense. He could raise her and make her into one of his mind washed minions who wants to open the gates of destruction."

"You're right Hotaru, it does make sense that Wiseman would want to capture a baby or small child." Luna's ears lay back as she spoke. "I understand what you are saying Trista. I fully understand what you're saying. It appears that Wiseman is indeed… wise. The future may be uncertain but one thing certainly is." Trista nodded and looked at me.

"I think you should return home. There's no need for us to keep you now that Wiseman's given up. We will be around, helping you, watching you. When the time comes then we will be back to protect you." Trista then waved her staff at me and before I knew what to say I was back in Darien's apartment.

Everything looked as pristine as it had before. Save for one thing, Diamond was there and Darien didn't seem to be. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "Wiseman is rather powerful… he knows that I'm disobeying him so he tried to scare you away from me."

"What do you mean disobey him? What have you done?" I looked at him hesitantly. "Where's Darien? Is he safe?" Diamond simply nodded and stared at the ground. "What have you done to disobey him?"

"Serena, I told you, come away with me. You're not safe here, you're not safe with Darien. If you stay with him, Wiseman will come again." I simply stared at him. "He took control of me Serena, everything forceful that I did, it was him. I don't want that. I'm a fugitive now Serena. Believe me."

"I can't believe you Diamond. You've given me no reason to trust you." I said sadly and frowned. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to fell like I could trust him. He stepped towards me and reached for my hand. I allowed him to take it and felt a calm wash over me.

"Look into my eyes, no tricks, no powers, just look." I did as he asked and saw fear in them. "Wiseman is leaving you alone because of Darien. Don't you find it suspicious that Wiseman visited Darien as a young child? That as soon as he realized you were here, he decided to leave you alone? There's a reason. I told you that if you chose him you would be in trouble." He squeezed my hand and closed his eyes. "I did lie to you about the symbol thing. You and I were not meant for each other, but Serena, if you stay with Darien, if you stay here, you will die."

"Diamond, you're very convincing… but I'm not biting. Darien loves me. He'll protect me." I tried to reassure Diamond only to have him shake his head furiously. "I don't care if Wiseman visited him as a young child. Darien loves me and would never hurt me."

"I know that he won't. That's not what I'm saying. Serena, there will come a point where he'll have to make a choice, he'll have to make a terrible choice. That choice, will kill you Serena. It will. If he loves you, then he will let you go. If he wants to protect you, then he will make you leave." I simply stared at Diamond. I tried to break into his mind but he wouldn't let me. The full details of what he knew, hidden from me. "What if I told you, all those years ago… Wiseman manipulated him, what if I told you that he is making Darien love you?" I gasp and stepped back. What the hell would that accomplish? What would be the point? "What if? Darien would have grown up loving you, his love is true, but what if it was started with something… with a lie? Serena, I'm trying to protect you from something very painful. That's why I'm here again. I can't leave you alone to face the terrible future… the terrible truth."

"Diamond. I can't believe you. Darien loves me because he loves me! He doesn't love me because some demented old man convinced him to." Diamond simply shook his head. "I mean, what purpose would that serve? It doesn't make sense. Look, I know you think you're trying to help me but you're not."

"Serena, Wiseman needs someone with your powers, he needs a collector with a strong will, a pure heart that can be clouded, and the ability to withstand great physical tasks. Does that sound like you?" I shook my head in denial then frowned. "I bet I could blast you with an energy sphere and seriously hurt you. That won't do for what Wiseman needs. I'm not going to tell you anymore… if I have to… I will allow you to suffer the fate ahead of you. I will side with Wiseman because if you don't come with me… you will lose and he will be the only future on this earth." I stared at him wide eyed as the apartment door opened. Darien walked down the hall, completely oblivious to the fact that we were there. "Choose now, if I leave, I'm never coming back." Diamond's eyes were pleading for me to go with him. He looked helpless and worried. "Please Serena." He held my hand tighter as Darien came to the realization that we were in the living room.

"Serena…" Darien spoke cautiously and looked at Diamond. "You told me you weren't coming back you liar!" Darien shouted at Diamond. "Get the hell away from her you freak!" Diamond sighed and released me. Stepping back he watched as Darien quickly rushed to me and pushed me behind him. "Leave her alone."

I stepped to the side, wrapping my hands around one of Darien's strong arms. I then looked at Diamond and he closed his eyes. "I see. Fine then Serena. Listen to me, both of you. I have tried to prevent your bleak future but I see now that I cannot. I am going to turn myself over to Wiseman, he will most likely strip me of my free will, he will make me into one of his mindless servants and the next time you see me, I will not be myself and therefore, I will not be merciful. I will take what I am sent to take and neither of you will stop me." With that he shook his head and teleported out of the apartment.

"Are you okay?" Darien turned to me and looked me over carefully. "He didn't do anything to you did he?" Darien then put his strong hands on my shoulders and rubbed up and down. "I was so afraid."

"I still am." I whispered and wrapped my arms around his torso. I needed a hug. I couldn't shake the feeling that I should have gone with Diamond, he was begging me to go with him, to leave Darien. Then again, he had alluded to the idea that I wasn't the one. I wasn't the person Wiseman was looking for but somehow I was in danger with Darien. "Darien… where can I find out more about this… what is it? Prophecy?"

"I suppose… we might be able to find something on it somewhere. We can ask Amy for help." He said softly and hugged me to him tightly. "We'll find out everything we can… hey… where's Luna?"

"Oh no! Luna!" I cried then laughed. "Oh, she's with a group of fierce women. She's fine. She's not really a cat." I smiled as he shook his head. "I always thought there was something wrong with her, she was too smart to be a normal cat." He nodded and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"As long as she's on our side, I'm okay." He offered.


	7. Force

Ohhhh... let's see how you like this one. **REVIEW!**

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Force

"This is so insane! I mean… aliens, powers, time travel, destiny… what the hell?" Lita threw up her hands and stared at me with dismay. Not that I blamed her, the poor woman was digesting so much. I wasn't even sure if I knew what was really going on. "Now we have to launch a full scale inquiry into what happened in the past in order to understand the future? Oh… my head." She leaned back in the booth and sighed.

"It's a big job, no doubt but I think it's important. I certainly don't want to put Serena in any sort of danger. If anything that Diamond said is remotely true then we have to take action." Darien said and pinched the corners of his eyes. "I don't want that nut to be right about anything mind you." I simply stared at him. He was so sweet… so very alluring… whoa, hold up Serena. Focus on the issue at hand not… him… oh damn it! You see ladies? He's just so irresistible!

"Well… the only thing I can find on the internet seem to be redacted files." Amy frowned. "Of course the government would know more about this than anyone else. Mutation my butt. They know we're all aliens." We all stared at Amy with shock on our faces as she tapped away on the keyboard of her laptop. "Short of breaking into their vault of forbidden information I don't think we're going to learn much." She sighed and looked at me. "So… what were the women who abducted you saying? Something about time travel and you being a child?"

"Yeah, they were talking about all sorts of things. I agree with them on one thing though… why bother coming to this time to try and capture me if it's easier to grab me as a child and raise me to think like them?" I pondered aloud and everyone fell into silence. Long moments passed as we all wondered what was going on. Why would all of these Aberrants just give up? Why?

"That's a good question." Amy finally stated and frowned. "Did they say anything else about time travel? Maybe why the enemy or this… Wiseman character… why he would choose this time?" I bit the inside of my cheek and thought carefully.

"Well, one theory was that Wiseman is actually trying to travel forward in time. That he's planning to do something in the future but can't get there yet because the future is changing so often. Does any of that make sense?" I asked the group as they all shook their heads.

"Hey! I found something about a moon prophecy!" Amy perked up. "It's on a conspiracy website but at this point I think we'll take what we can find." Everyone nodded and waited for Amy to begin reading. "It says here that there was once a civilization inhabiting the moon. The people were powerful but peaceful… blah blah blah… ah! Here we are. It says that a descendant of the royal Lunarian family will be born on earth, the powers of which will be unprecedented and unmatched by any other being before it. The descendant will change the balance of the universe, either conforming to the powers of destruction and ending the universe as we know it, or… enveloping the world in a pure light." Amy stopped and looked up at me as the rest of the girls leaned toward the screen to see if what Amy had just said was in fact displayed. "Okay, we already know all of that. Although… it does say here that the person will be very powerful. I don't think any one of us is powerful enough to qualify for this. Even you Serena. I always thought you were the most powerful person around but that Diamond guy just about matched you."

"Then I'm not the one. Luna said I'm the last descendant of the royal family though." I bit my lip and frowned. "I mean, I'm it! I'm the last one."

"For now." Andrew interrupted and set a milkshake on the table. "You're the last one right now." We all turned to him to study him. His eyes darted around then he finally turned on his heels.

"What do you mean Drew?" Mina drawled sweetly. The action seemed to stop Andrew in his tracks. "Please explain?" I saw Amy squirm a little in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. She bit her lip and shut the laptop before looking at me and turning red.

"Um… I'd rather not talk about it." Andrew elected and rushed away from the table for the safety of his work. I continued to stare at Amy and let everything simmer for a while. Amy was rarely uncomfortable with a conversation. The topics of embarrassment? Bad grades, skipping school, stupidity, sex, nudity…

Then it hit me. Andrew's words became crystal clear to me and I felt the heat now raising to my face as well. I was the last of the Lunarian royals right now because if I have a child, the line will continue. Diamonds words echoed in my ears as I felt a chill travel the length of my spine. _Wiseman is leaving you alone because of Darien. Don't you find it suspicious that Wiseman visited Darien as a young child?_ _What if I told you, all those years ago… Wiseman manipulated him, what if I told you that he is making Darien love you_? I slowly shifted my eyes to Darien who looked deep in thought. Oh God! Wiseman wants a child… my child… Darien's… "I have to take a walk." I stated suddenly and looked at Darien purposefully. He seemed a little shocked but slowly slid out of the booth and offered me his hand. "Nope, I'm good, I want to go alone." I breathed and quickly slid out of the booth. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I walked out. I just had one thing left to do… I linked with Amy. "Please don't tell anyone." I then severed the link and began to run. I had to get away from him. Diamond was right, staying with Darien did put me in danger.

"Serena!" Luna's raised voice reached me. "Serena, where are you going?" I paused and let her catch up to me. I didn't know what to do. I had nowhere to go, I had nothing.

"I don't know." I finally whispered and closed my eyes. "I don't know Luna… I just… I…" I leaned against the brick wall that was close by and shook.

"You're still being hunted. Remember? Wiseman isn't the only one looking for you." Luna stated flatly. I could feel her eyes on me and then I heard rushed footsteps on the sidewalk. I opened my eyes to see Darien and the girls coming towards me. Oh how I wished I could teleport like Diamond. I pictured myself in a field surrounded by tall grass with the wind blowing, no one around for miles. "SERENA!" Luna cried suddenly as I felt a tickle against my legs.

Opening my eyes I stood shocked. "Oh my God…" I breathed and looked around. I was in a field of tall grass. "Luna… I… I…" She looked up at me and then transformed into her human self so she could see more than the tall amber stalks of grass. "I teleported."

"Well, this is simply wonderful! Where are we?" Luna bit angrily. "I can't believe this. What were you thinking? I mean… we're in the middle of nowhere!" She clamped her hands on my shoulders and looked at me. "What is wrong with you?"

"I… I'm in love with Darien…" I stuttered and she looked at me as if I were a fly in her milk saucer. "Wiseman wants us to have a child." Her look softened and sympathy shown in her eyes.

"You can't run from this." Luna stated firmly. "You two were a couple those thousand years ago and when Wiseman came for you then we sent you here. He was so angry, so heartbroken that he threatened to destroy his own planet for you. He would have destroyed the world if we hadn't sent him forth too. So we did. Serena, your future with Darien is destined… why would you run from something so…" She paused as she stared into my eyes. "Serena, it's inevitable. You can't hide from him. Just let things play out. Protect your child from Wiseman, don't change what shall be."

"The future's constantly changing Luna. Nothing is absolute, I can choose not to be with him. I can choose to change the future." I swallowed the lump in my throat and bit my lip. "I have to protect this planet. I have to break it off with him. I have to convince him that I don't… that I want nothing to do with him." She looked at me sadly but didn't protest. "Let's go back. I bet they're freaking out." I pictured the place I had been a few minutes before and felt myself appear there.

"Wow!" Mina exclaimed and hugged me. "I want to know how to teleport!"

"Not now Mina." I smiled and looked at Darien. "I need to talk to you." I said that a little colder than I wanted to because I saw worry fill his eyes. Those beautifully… gorgeous… no! Stop… stay away from him! "Now." I snapped and began to walk towards the park. He walked in stead with me until I finally broke the silence. "Darien, thank you for everything you've done. I want you to know that I appreciate it."

"What are you doing?" He stopped mid stride and narrowed his eyes. "This sounds like the beginning of a break up conversation." I inwardly smirked. Darien had been broken up with? That was a new concept. "Oh my God… you are breaking up with me."

"This just isn't working out." I sighed and hoped I could fool him. By the look in his eyes he wasn't buying it. "Darien, I just don't want to be romantically involved right now… you know, there's a lot going on in my life right now and I just don't think there's any room for you."

"Bullshit. What are you trying to pull right now Serena? The danger's over so we're free to be together." He reached for my hands and I pulled away. My hormones were going crazy and I knew if he touched me it would be over. "What's going one with you?"

"I told you Darien. No is no!" I stepped away from him as he stepped forward. His eyes were eerily intense and I could see clouds beginning to form. "Please just let me go. I'm protecting us both."

"I don't need protection." He growled and balled his fists. "Serena, we've been playing hard to get for a long time. Don't you think it's time to stop this and just be happy?"

"No." I said coldly and turned away from him. "I don't want to be with you Darien. I never played hard to get." He didn't make a sound as I imagined him staring at me. I imagined the thoughts playing through his head then I felt myself reading him.

_She's lying to me. She has to be, she's never been anything but genuine and I know that she meant that kiss._ I bit my lip as I thought about the kiss we had shared. It had been wonderful, beautifully wonderful… and I wanted more. "I'm not letting you leave me without a fight." He finally said darkly. "I don't know why you think we're not going to be together but you're wrong."

"Darien, no, I'm leaving." I began to walk forward and paused as I saw a flicker in front of me that looked a lot like a cloaked figure floating in the air. Then to my surprise the figure materialized and even thought I couldn't see the man's eyes I cold feel him staring at me.

Darien immediately pushed me behind him, his massive stature hiding me from the possible threat. "Who are you and what do you want? We were told that we would be left alone!" Darien shouted and there was a rumble in the sky.

"Relax dear boy. I'm here to offer the girl an ultimatum. If you wish to leave my dear, you may come with me. I will hide you from everything you want to hide from. You will never have to see this man again and you can be free." His voice was eerie and I didn't like it. Something about him was dark and foreboding. "Serena, all of this can stop if you come with me now." Not to mention the fact that I was getting really sick of that line. Why did everyone want me to come with them? "Answer me young lady."

"I would rather not go with you… you creep me out." I heard him laugh and felt an icy chill hit me. He certainly wasn't a nice person, I could feel it. "Please make him leave." I whispered to Darien.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, not ever." The man was right behind me, and now, I could feel the darkness radiating off of him. I tired to picture somewhere else, teleport somewhere else but he reached out and grabbed my arm painfully. I heard Darien shout my name and then, all was black. I was awake, that I knew, I felt the man's bony hand around my wrist and felt air tickling my skin. We were moving, through the darkness yet my feet weren't touching the ground. "You, my dear, are quite difficult to deal with. I know that you don't understand the importance of anything that's happened to you but you will. Now…" He gripped my wrist tighter and threw me violently forward, my legs hit some sort of ledge, or table and I fell forward into a shallow… was it a basin?

My legs ached with pain as I felt the sides of the small pool I seemed to be in. It was smooth and filled with a warm water. "What is this?" I asked hesitantly into the darkness. As I waited for a response I noticed how quiet it was in this room, how very quiet. "Where am I?" I shouted then felt Diamond nearby. The feeling was unmistakable, I remained perfectly still, afraid to move, afraid to let him know I was there.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. I was damned afraid! I had no idea where I was and every time I tried to picture somewhere to teleport I felt myself being blocked. I was trapped. I jumped as I felt two hands caress my cheeks and then the silence fell away. "Serena… is that really you?"

"Yes." I whispered and raised my eyes in hopes of seeing him. Right now I was thankful to have him near me. I would take Diamond's company over loneliness anytime. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere you don't want to be." He whispered sadly. "This is where Wiseman erases memories and replaces them with his will. Stand up, get away from the pool or else you're going to wind up regretting it." I quickly scrambled away from the water and stood on the flat ground. "I warned you."

"Look, I'm not going to give Wiseman what he wants." I stomped. "He can keep me here as long as he wants but he won't win." I promised myself. Diamond laughed almost manically then stepped towards me.

"You really think you're going to win this? Serena, you can't win this. I can't win this so you certainly can't. I'm fighting him right now. Fighting so very hard but I can't fight for much longer." He sounded exhausted but I didn't believe it.

"You're one lie after another Diamond. You said you were going to surrender yourself to him." I said hesitantly as I realized that the Diamond I was talking to might not be the Diamond that left only a little while ago.

"You're right… I did." He said thoughtfully then he grabbed me harshly and threw me into the water filled basin. "You're smarter than I thought." He was suddenly on top of me, pushing my body into the water as his hands wandered over me.

"Get away from me!" I screamed and kicked at him. He captured my hands and held them hostage above my head, his hands ripping at my clothes, undressing me. "Diamond! Fight him! Please!" I tried to use my powers to subdue Diamond but they seemed to drain out of me much like Hotaru had drained me. "Stop!"

"Why? Not like you're interested in anyone else. You might as well be mine." He growled as his teeth grazed the delicate skin on my neck. "That's right Serena, don't worry about it, just surrender yourself, mind and body and you'll never be unhappy again." He kissed me, pushing my ears under the water, my whole body at this point, save for my face was submerged.

The water entered my ears and with it, a fuzziness that began to cloud my mind. "No!" I shouted and kicked Diamond where it counts most. He growled painfully and stopped his ministrations, allowing me to push him away and me to get out of the water. He didn't want to have sex with me, he was trying to get me into that damned mind eraser… thingy.

"You would have been better off!" The cloaked man's voice echoed through the room loudly. "Why cant you be an obedient woman and let me worry about your life? Do you really think you're going to avoid me?" I stood there, shaking in fear then remembered, this guy needed ME. I didn't need him, he needed me. I was in charge here.

"Wiseman I presume? Well, you have made a big mistake you know. I will not bow to your will and I will not let you get your way. You can forget about me and Darien." He laughed heartily as if he thought I were the crazy one.

"I was trying to make it easy on you, trying to allow you some period of happiness where you could live a normal life with the man you love. I know that you love him and you can't lie to me." He spit hatefully. "Darien is easily controlled, I could make him do whatever I want you know?"

"Did you make him love me?" I shouted angrily. I didn't want to believe that he had. I wanted to believe that Darien loved me for me.

"No, I can't make people love one another… unfortunately." He growled. "But I can make him want you so badly that you can't escape him or his needs. I could bring him here right now and make him forcefully do my bidding." I shivered, I believed him about that one. "Clearly that's what you want. So… let's begin shall we?" He laughed and I heard someone else suddenly splash into the water filled basin.

"Where the hell am I?" I heard Darien shout angrily. "Where's Serena?" I bit my lip and held perfectly still. If he didn't know I was here everything would be fine… hopefully.


	8. Getting Out

Here's another one, enjoy and** REVIEW!**

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Getting Out

Wiseman's laugh filled the room again and I felt my feet sliding along the floor. "She's right here Darien, safe and sound." I struggled to fight the force pushing me towards Darien and found myself unable to. Colliding with his hard body, I felt Darien's arms immediately encircle me, hugging me tightly.

"We're okay… why are you soaked?" He asked tenderly then paused. "Where's your shirt?" I gulped and realized that Diamond had ripped my shirt off. "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing…" I whispered sadly and felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Darien… please don't do this." I sounded pathetic, I'll just say that now. I really did sound pathetic. I felt him grow tense then a low growl erupted from his throat. "I don't want this." I repeated and waited for him to say something.

"I have no idea what you're talking about but we're getting out of here." He said sternly and he stepped away from me briefly. I heard a rustling of clothing and then a shirt was being draped over my shoulders. "Here, put this on… now… let's find a way out." He took my hand and began walking. I wondered if he had any idea where he was going and decided against it. How could he know where he was going? You couldn't see anything.

"Where are you going?" I asked carefully and began buttoning the too large shirt. I was certainly thankful for the shirt, for one it was still warm from him wearing it and secondly it smelt like him. His scent invaded my nose and comforted me greatly.

"I don't know, something's telling me to go this way." He said blankly and shrugged. That was as good an answer as any I suppose. I wasn't too thrilled about the whole walking through a black void thing but… I could handle it.

We walked on in silence, the whole time I kept feeling Diamond close by, as if he were following us. Darien seemed to sense it too because every now and then he would pause and listen for any noises. "Darien… I'm scared and I just want to get out of here… I just want all of this to be over."

"I can arrange for that." Wiseman said sternly from behind us. We spun around and I felt Darien tense as if to fight. "Serena, if you want out of here, all you have to do is promise me you'll stay where I want you to." I shook my head. "How about you Darien? You want this to be over?"

"Yes." Darien drawled slowly and held onto me tightly. "What do you want from her? Why bother her?" Wiseman laughed amusedly and a light suddenly appeared. It came from a crystal ball in his hands. In the crystal ball I could see a flickering image of a little girl with pink hair.

"I want this child. Serena is the only one who can lead me to her." I looked up at Darien as he stared into the crystal ball then at Wiseman. The look on his face was one of annoyance.

"Go find the kid yourself. How's she supposed to know where to find her?" Darien growled. "I've never seen her before so Serena surely doesn't know her." I saw Diamond smile from behind Wiseman and tilt his head to the side.

"Not yet she doesn't." I could hear the grin in Wiseman's tone and then a flash of annoyance. "You have two choices, I can teleport you out of here, you two can live happily together, or, I keep you here and you both have unfortunate experiences." Darien looked down at me then removed his arms from around me.

"Am I really so terrible that you're unwilling to just be around me? Is that what this is about?" He sounded so sad, I could only shake my head from side to side. That wasn't it at all and I felt terrible at the current moment. "Then why can't we just leave?"

"I won't let him get his way." I whispered and then realized the error I had made. Darien twitched and, his face suddenly hardened. His eyes fixed on me, unmoving, unblinking… they were so very intense. "Darien…" I moved away from him, his eyes were fixed on me.

"Last chance honey, I've got a hold of him now… either you agree to leave here and live your life normally, with him, or…" Wiseman's voice dropped off as the light began to dwindle. I felt my heart begin to race. All I had to do was say yes, then I could go back home and just escape. I could run away. "That won't work. I have a power binding on you missy and you won't be able to escape me. What's it going to be?"

"Leave me alone." I continued to move away from them, the darkness beginning to envelope me but Darien's eyes remained fixed. "Please leave me alone." I cried. Wiseman shook his head and let the light completely die. The minute it did I heard movement, fast movement.

I turned and ran, zig zagging as I went, like a rabbit. I could hear someone chasing me and I knew who it was and what that person wanted. I ran, and ran, then ran some more, each time I turned I felt Darien reach for me and miss.

The tears were freely running down my face now but all the while I remembered that the future wasn't at all certain. If it was Wiseman would be there already. "Get back here!" I heard Darien tell at me. He was so close, his speed and agility scaring me.

That's when it all went downhill. My legs smacked into the water basin and down I went, landing in the water harshly. I cried out in pain, my legs felt as if they had been smashed with a sledgehammer. In a flash Darien had a hold of me, his hand tangled in my hair, he pulled me out of the water and onto my feet. I screamed in pain, both from my hair being pulled and the sharp stabbing that went through my legs. "Darien… please… don't." I cried and tried to resist him and he pulled me against his body.

"God I want you…" He whispered then chuckled softly. "I would have never guessed you were one for cat and mouse. Or for anything rough." I felt fear course through me. What had Wiseman done to him? Maybe more importantly, what had Wiseman made him believe? He pulled my lips to his and kissed me hungrily, his tongue forcing it's way into my mouth and his free hand groping me harshly. "Stop fighting me." He hissed and jerked my head back so my back arched into him.

"Darien… stop…" I begged and heard him laugh. His lips touched my neck, his teeth trailing over my skin as an animalistic grunt escaped him. He wasn't going to listen, clearly I could do nothing. I knew his strength, he could snap me like a twig if he wanted to, so my best bet was to not fight too much. "You're hurting me!"

"Just say you'll do what I want you to and it doesn't have to be like this." Wiseman whispered in my ear. I felt like I was selling my soul because I was actually thinking about it. "This will really hurt if you don't." I bit my lip and nodded my head in approval. Clearly I wasn't getting out of this, the only thing I could do was agree and prolong this. "What?"

"Okay Wiseman, I agree, I'll do what you want." Darien immediately released me and began breathing hard. "What do you want?" I asked sadly.

"Just live your life, be happy." He said happily and just like that, Darien and I were standing in his living room. He was on his knees on the ground, his hands in front of him as he gasp for breath.

"Darien?" I asked softly and knelt down to touch him. He looked as if he were in pain of some sort. I hurt all over, looking down at my legs I noticed the black bruises and swelling, my head was throbbing, and everywhere else Darien had grabbed me hurt like hell. At the moment thought I was far more concerned with Darien.

"Get away from me." He snapped suddenly without looking up. I paused as he balled his fists angrily. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted at me and lifted his head to glare at me. "I… I can't… just stay away from me." Tears started to form in his eyes and I realized something. The person who had just attacked me wasn't Darien. The way his teeth had touched me… that was Diamond. That's why Wiseman had Diamond there.

"Darien… it's okay… really…" I tried to comfort him. I knew how torturous it was to be controlled by Diamond, to have your body disobey you and do what someone else wanted. "It wasn't you…"

"No… It doesn't matter. What I did to you… what this body did to you… I don't want any part of it." He breathed and stared at the hard wood floor then closed his eyes. "I was helpless, I was trapped, listening to you plead, beg me… not to hurt you and he… I can't get his thoughts out of my head." I felt bad for Darien. Really bad.

"It's fine. We're okay now." I smiled and his eyes slowly scanned over me. This was hell, truly, it was. "Look, I'm fine, you on the other hand don't look too well. I think you might have fractured your legs." He stood suddenly and scooped me into his arms. Carrying me to the couch, he lay me down and moved his hands to my legs and closed his eyes. "They're fractured… should I heal them for you?"

Looking into his concerned eyes I knew the only answer he would accept was yes. I nodded and waited for something to happen. He looked hesitant for some reason, I couldn't tell what though. "This… is going to hurt… isn't it?" I asked carefully as he nodded. "Then just… do it." His eyes locked with mine as I felt a snap in my legs followed by an almost unbearable pain. I can't even describe the pain I felt… stabbing… maybe… that's what I'll label it as.

Of course, at the time I didn't have time to think about all that at the time… no. Instead of thinking rationally I threw my head back and began screaming bloody murder. I'm fairly convinced that someone in the apartment building must have heard it and called the police. This lasted for fifteen minutes or so, Darien ever so diligently healed my legs but I'll be damned if I appreciated it.

After it was over, Darien moved so he was kneeling close to my face, his eyes so full of regret and just as teary as mine (I had bawled my eyes out too… yeah… not attractive). "I'm so sorry." He said gently and placed a hand on my cheek to remove the tear stains. "Seems like I'm causing you more pain and suffering than I am comfort."

"Very true." I moaned and squeezed my eyes shut. "And to think… all of this because someone else wants us to sleep together." I could almost feel the smile radiating off of him as I said that. Of course he would smile, a moment ago he didn't want to be near me for fear of hurting me but now he wants to sleep with me… men. Honestly, the simplicity of their minds…

"You know, I was never opposed to the idea, only the conditions that seem to be accompanying it." He then removed his hand and stood, walking into the kitchen. "Nonetheless, I think we need to talk about this. Frankly, I'm surprised they let us go. They're not giving us any sort of choice and… well… I just don't understand. Diamond had me, he could have carried out Wiseman's will… why risk us not sleeping together? Why not just keep us like that and get the job done?" I finally cracked my eyes open and looked at him. He had a point. Why release us when they had us there, captive, like prisoners with puppet strings? I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"I don't know." I finally sighed. Maybe Wiseman let us return to have the illusion that we were free. Diamond could appear here at any time, consume Darien's mind… that would make sense. Wiseman wanting me to believe that I was with Darien when maybe… maybe Diamond would take him over and make sure the job was done. "Darien…" I asked gently and he walked around the couch, setting down a glass of water.

"Here, I know you're dehydrated, heeling you takes energy and often dehydrates a person." I smiled at him and took the water eagerly. "Were you going to ask me something Meatball head?"

"Yeah… Darien… how will I know you're you and not Diamond?" His eyes immediately darkened with uncertainty and worry. I knew those eyes, I could tell by his eyes but… what if I didn't notice that in time? I did not want to fall victim to any sick games Wiseman would make Diamond play. "I mean… we can't even create a password because Diamond could find something like that."

"How about the Meatball head thing. Everyone knows I call you that but… Diamond calls you Serena… right? He wouldn't know any different. So… if were having any romantic moments or any resembling it… I'll call you meatball head." He waited for me to agree then seemed thoughtful again. "Um… let's just… pretend for a moment… that… Diamond took control of you… how am I going to know?"

I have to admit, the look on Darien's face in the current moment not only spoke of his disgust in the thought, but it also reflected mine. "Well jerk face, I guess you'll never know." I drawled as he grinned. "So, resorting back to our enemy pet names." I laughed. "It'll work."

"Let's hope so." Darien smiled and leaned forward to kiss me gently. As our lips touched I felt a spark travel the length of my spine and stop in the most… private of areas. In a way, I had to appreciate fate, Darien was certainly the only one who made me feel this way. I wanted him to kiss me, to touch me… to do… so much more. "Okay, that's enough for right now." He suddenly pulled away. "I think we're both a little traumatized by today and this isn't a good interaction… how about we… go out to eat or something… it's seven, so it's past our dinner time."

"You go get something, bring it back please? I don't want to go out. I'm still a little afraid of the government trying to pick me up. I'm still a powerful discovered, level ten you know?" I smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"Right, and as a powerful, level, ten Aberrant… you can change your appearance… I know you can. Just think of looking different and you will be." I thoughtfully mulled the idea around and finally decided on changing my hair to black. It was night and day to my blonde and while I was at it, I imagined green eyes. The result… If I must say so myself, was stunning. I let my hair down and tussled it lightly then looked at Darien. "I prefer you the other way but if we have to hide you, I would much prefer you looking like someone else." He held out his hand and smiled. "Let's go."


	9. Shell of a Former Self

Okaaaaaayyy, sooooooo… I'm um… sorry I suppose. I whole year and a half without updating is cruel. Very cruel. I have an idea though that I'm going to run with. So HOPEFULLY I will not do this to you again. I want to thank everyone who's stuck with this and continues to read my stories despite my flaky tendencies. I know I have three open right now and that's bad. On the upside, I've been working on new stuff and hopefully those will be hits. So yeah, without further ado here is chapter nine. Good luck and **REVIEW!**

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9

Shell of a Former Self

The next few days were uneventful for Darien and I, and, as I sat on the couch surrounded by my friends I simply sighed. The craziness appeared to be gone but I knew the truth, Wiseman still wanted my future child and Diamond was still out there waiting.

"So Serena, where is Darien? I thought he'd be here by now?" Mina cooed in her suggestive tone. The girls had been drilling me all evening about any possible "romantic" endeavors Darien and I had. They would probably flip a circuit if I told them the truth.

Darien and I were scared to even think of starting a relationship. Wiseman's plan to get me pregnant (oh God that sounds so sick!) and take my child had shone a very real, very disturbing light over us. We had the code words but still, what good would that do us if one of us was taken over. Darien could overpower me easily and I could destroy him if I didn't control my powers.

Then there was poor Luna. I know it sounds silly and maybe a last grasp for an excuse, but we didn't want to do anything around Luna. She may stay in her cat form but I know what lies underneath that fuzzy exterior.

Pulling myself back to the conversation I simply shrugged and looked at Mina. "I don't know when he'll be home. Really Mina we're just room mates. I don't understand why you think we're romantically involved." I avoided her eyes. I knew what she was thinking but how could I tell her the real truth? Amy simply put a hand on my back and sighed. She was the only one who knew my predicament.

"Oh, I don't know… maybe it's because he's crazy about you." Lita piped in and smiled genuinely. "Look, I've had plenty of boyfriends to know when two people have that certain something and you two have it."

As I went to respond the door opened and Darien walked in. When he appeared in the living room he scanned over the girls and smiled tiredly before walking into his bedroom. "He's had a rough day by the looks of it." Raye whispered as we all watched the door. She was right, he looked so tired.

"Let me go and check on him." I stood and walked to the door, knocking lightly. "Darien? Are you okay?" I frowned and placed my hand on the knob to open the door. Pushing the object open I saw him sitting on his bed staring at the ground almost sadly. "What's the matter?" I stepped in and closed the door behind me.

His eyes moved to me then he looked back down. "Wiseman came to see me today." I paled and stepped forward placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what to do anymore." He looked up at me with despair in his eyes. "He threatened to tip off the officials, threatened to have you captured and Lord knows what else. I think he's going to capture you again."

"He won't have what he wants if he does. He wants us to have a child and what good am I to him without you being around me? He's just threatening us to hurry it along. He's impatient." I assured him and sat next to him. "It'll be fine… now, let me get rid of the girls and I'll make you dinner." I smiled and waited for him to respond. Finally, after what seemed like eons. He nodded and closed his eyes. He looked like he was in pain, as if he were struggling with something. "I'll be back." I sighed and stood.

Walking out to the girls I managed to convince them to leave because Darien was having a bad day. Mina simply winked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and felt her squeeze my shoulder a little sending a shiver down my spine. She then walked out, closing the door behind her.

The moment the door closed I turned to Darien's door and felt an overwhelming need to go into his room and kiss him. Make him feel better about his day. As a neared his room I felt a tingling sensation begin to envelope me, as if I needed to see him. Aw hell, I'll admit it. I was so damned horny I could hardly contain myself.

I began to reason with myself. What harm would be done by just having a little bit of fund once. Just once couldn't hurt right? If we used a condom and everything? Yeah, it would be fine. I smiled and walked to his bedroom door and opened it slowly. He was no longer sitting on his bed. Instead he'd moved into his bathroom and I could hear the shower water running and I immediately smiled. Oh hell yeah, I was totally getting laid!

I stripped down and found my way into the bathroom quietly. Smirking I teleported into the shower and wrapped my arms around his strong torso from behind. I could almost feel his body freeze. "Serena, what are you doing?"

"Taking a shower with you. Trying to make you feel better." I smiled and move my right hand down his torso. I was almost to his lower half when he grabbed my hands and stilled me.

"Meatball head." He hesitated. "I'm really not in the mood."

"Come on Jerk face… I actually want to. Forget about Wiseman. I don't care about him; besides, once couldn't hurt could it?" I asked and pressed my front against his back intimately. For some reason I just didn't want to take no for an answer.

"Serena, just a few seconds ago you were being very sympathetic. What changed?" He was still hesitant.

"You came home and I got the girls to leave." He went stiff again and turned his head to the side so he could see me. "What is it baby?"

"You can forget about whatever you're thinking of because it's not going to happen. Mina was here and you know she can push emotions or feelings onto you." I frowned at that and pushed into his mind. Mina wasn't the only one with that ability. "Stop it!" He snapped and glared at me fiercely. "I'm not going to have sex with you. End of story!" He affirmed and untangled my arms. "Look! I'm not going to do this! I do want you, believe me I do, in the worst way but I can't have you. Don't you get it? I'm not going to bring a child in to this world only to have her captured and used for some sort of doomsday device. I will not end the world… I'll take care of you like I promised but we can't be together Serena. We just can't."

I stood there speechless as he unceremoniously ended any sort of romantic endeavor we may ever have. I hated him for this. Hated him for being right, but hated Wiseman more for making Darien right. "So, that's it then? You're just going to give up?"

"What else can we do? Serena, this is a guy who can control level ten abberants like you and I. He can travel through time and do anything he pleases. We can't beat him so we have to simply prevent him from getting what he wants; and we both know what he wants." Darien sighed and hung his head.

"Okay then." I nodded and quickly got out of the shower. I threw on my clothes and shoes and went into my room. Staring out the windows I felt tears in my eyes. What was the point of living if my life was going to be like this? For as long as we both live Wiseman will chase us. With that thought I walked into the living room and stepped out onto the balcony. Stepping up on the railing I heard Luna's frantic scream. I turned and saw her dashing for the balcony door in her human form with Darien emerging from his room. _Goodbye._ I pushed the mental thought out and fell backwards off of the balcony.

The wind rushed by me, the sound of the whistling in my ears overwhelming me until everything just went black.

I felt as though I was floating in water. The warmth that surrounded me made me feel peaceful and serene. What was happening to me? Was I dying? Was I already dead? I tried to open my eyes only to not be able to. I couldn't wake up despite how hard I tried. Maybe this is what they referred to as limbo. The place in-between everything.

As I lay there I heard voices around me. They sounded far away but I could feel presences all around me. None of the entities around me were aberrants. I could tell that. So I focused and was able to hear a little of the conversation.

"It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it." A male voice murmerd.

"Me either. Incredible. Doctor, how should we proceed?" A woman replied.

At that moment I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness once more.

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*Darien's POV*

I heard her mentally say goodbye just before she threw herself off of the balcony and felt my heart plunge into my stomach. Luna had transformed and was leaning over the railing screaming. It was a scream similar to that of a mother's, it was chillingly indescribable. Rushing to the balcony I leaned over and saw her body on the pavement twenty six stories down. I felt sick. I'd killed her.

"What did you do to her?" Luna cried and turned to me with those heartbroken eyes. "Why did she kill herself?"

"I told her… we couldn't be together." I breathed and felt the urge to go down to her body. I had to see if she was truly dead. It was a long shot to think otherwise but it was possible. Turning towards the front door I ran as fast as I could to the elevator then went down and out the front doors. I hesitantly stepped outside and felt fear and anger grip me. Standing only a few feet away was Diamond and in his arms was an unconscious Serena. She looked dead, her body much like a bloody and broken rag doll. "Leave her alone!"

"You've already killed her Darien. What good have you done? It's clear that you two will never cooperate and it is for that very reason that you will never see her again." Diamond smiled a wicked smile. "Sad really, it would have been so much easier had you cooperated. No matter though, we can still use her."

"What?" I asked hesitantly. "I thought you said she was dead."

"For now. Wiseman has more power than you know and soon, she will be alive again. She will serve as a conduit for our plans. Like I said though. It's too bad you didn't cooperate. It really was a charity to you, giving you two time to be together, to be happy." With that Diamond teleported leaving me with a sick feeling in my stomach. Not only had I killed Serena, but I had let her fall into Wiseman's hands. Let her suffer some ungodly, unnatural process where they would use her for their evil plans.

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The older man smiled as he admired the beauty on the other side of the glass. She was beautiful, powerful as well. She was the future, how could anyone look at her and say that aberrants were terrible?

"How long?" The white haired man stepped beside him and gazed at her through the glass. He looked stoic and yet, there was a slightly disturbed air circling him. "I asked you how long?" Diamond turned to him with a dangerous glare in his eyes.

"I don't know. It depends. To modify her powers to the specifications… could be days or even years. It's hard to know." The man stated sternly and watched as Diamond nodded.

"As long as she can regenerate, that's all we need." Diamond's eyes went back to her unconscious form. Darien had been a fool. He didn't see the future in the right way. Wise man wanted a world without regular humans. He hated them with a passion. He only wanted a world with abberants, true abberants. There was only one way to channel all of that power to be able to eliminate all the humans and it could only be done by someone with Serena's powers. The moment Darien had rejected her was the moment he sealed her fate. She would die because of his stupidity. Die a terrible and excruciating death. A child born of their combined powers would have survived the gates, but Serena wouldn't. Not with artificial, borrowed powers.

He felt sad as he gazed at her. Placing a hand on the glass of the incubation tank he sighed. "I warned you Serena. Why didn't you listen to me? Was I really such a bad option?" He felt the scientist looking at him strangely and turned to him. The man pitied him! He could feel it in the thoughts. "Do not pity me sir." He urged and paused for a moment. The ground shook violently. Darien was on the move again. He had begun to search for the blonde the moment she had left his sight but nothing he could do would bring her back. Serena was gone, all that was left of her was a shell and an empty mind which he would control. Darien had killed her, killed his own woman. There was a simple irony to the whole situation. The one person that could have saved her killed her.

"Let me know when she is ready. I want to know before anyone else because I have something I want to do." He gave his instructions and turned away from her. He walked to the door where Sapphire stood looking at him smugly.

"Planning to dangle her in front of him are you?" Sapphire laughed a little and smiled at his brother fondly. He was always a fan of Diamond's liking for mind games. Darien certainly deserved to know what he'd done and Diamond, who had also loved the woman, would be sure to let him know. "What will you do?"

"I will take her there, make her walk right up to him and tell him he killed her. I'll tell the truth and then I'll release her mind so he can see the empty shell she is. After that I'll take her to wiseman, there's nothing else to do really." Diamond reported and smiled wickedly. "He'll pay for killing her. Pay dearly."


End file.
